Media releases

The Liberal government has put out a discussion paper on its Planning Law changes,
including the introduction of Development Assessment Panels.
Position Paper – Development Assessment Panel Framework – October 2023 (PDF, 483.9 KB)
This quote comes from the position paper at 3.1
Despite the statistical evidence, there remains a perception that some Councils are less
supportive of new development than others and that on occasion the personal views of
elected councillors in relation to a proposed development, ….
“The governments own discussion paper admits that the problem is really only one of
perception and very few DAs are held up by councils due to politics or a failure of the
councils to do there job.”
“What the government is trying to do here is fix a problem that does not exist. The cable
car failed because it was a poorly thought out project which was not well presented by the
proponent.”
RIGHT TO INFORMATION REQUEST
Residents Opposed to the Cable Car submitted an RTI in 2019 and the information
requested has just been released. See the attached letter below.
While the delay is frustrating, what has been released included a letter from the Hobart
City Council to the cable car proponent MWCC. What this letter shows is that MWCC were
asked for more information on numerous occasions around June of 2019.
The letter shows that despite the requests the company had still not satisfied the request
for further information on a range of issues by 17 January 2020 some 6 months later.
“The delays in providing the necessary information held up the approvals process and no
special track to approval such as the proposed ‘Development Assessment Panels’ would
have made any difference”
“The Cable Car project failed because it did not comply with the Planning Scheme”
“There is no demonstrated need for DAPs and the cable car is a perfect example of the
current system working properly. The Hobart City Council made a timely decision and on
appeal by the proponent to TasCAT the appeal was rejected and the council shown to
have made the correct decision.”

Phil Stigant

Residents Opposed to the Cable Car inc

.

The Premier Jeremy Rockliff claims that too many development proposals are held up or opposed in Councils across our state but he is ignoring the reality that most of these fail because they do not meet the relevant planning scheme.

The Cable Car is a prime example of a project which was rejected by the community then rejected by the Carlton and United Breweries, then rejected by the Hobart City Council and finally rejected comprehensively by the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The project failed because it did not meet the requirements of the planning laws.

“This latest proposal from a dying government is yet another attempt to reduce the role of local government and thereby reduce the public’s input into decision making around developments that directly affect them.”

“Poorly designed proposals which do not meet the community expectations or planning scheme requirements, like the Cable Car will always fail”

“Instead of looking for more ways to bypass proper scrutiny and reduce the public’s say in planning we would call on the government to work to protect our wonderful environment such as kunanyi by expediting the review into the Wellington Park Management Plan and including proper consideration of the Aboriginal heritage values.”

Ted Cutlan

spokesperson for ROCC

Despite a comprehensive, independent rejection of the kunanyi cable car proponent’s self-declared ‘best effort’, a new chairman of the Mount Wellington Cableway Company has been appointed to pursue the project once Premier Rockliff decides how to sideline proper process and fast-track an approval for the detested, non-compliant development. The new chair of the company has been, until very recently, ‘Principal Advisor’ in Premier Rockliff’s office, presumably involved in delivering the Premier’s requested advice on ‘developing a pathway to support’[i] the approval of the development.

Nala Mansell, campaigner for The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre condemned the Premier’s lifeline to the project, not least after he this week claimed in his State of the State Address to be ‘working hard’ to listen and learn from Aboriginal people.  “This is a dead end project that has failed repeated tests,” Ms Mansell said. “We have been clear about the impact it would have on our heritage and yet Premier Rockliff wants to ride roughshod over our interests, trash our heritage and push on with a new, dodgy approval.”

“This is happening during a review of the Aboriginal Heritage Act, legislation the Government has acknowledged ‘does not provide effective mechanisms for protection’. This is a farce that treats Aboriginal people, our heritage and his own Government’s review with contempt.

Residents Opposed to the Cable Car highlighted the fact that in the Hobart City Council’s consultation process, 72% of a massive 16,000+ representations, opposed the development.

“This is a toxic proposal that has been repeatedly condemned by experts, adjudicators and the community. The planning tribunal accepted that it would not deliver economic or community benefits and it failed to meet environmental, scenic, amenity and geo-heritage requirements.”

“This appointment, straight out of the Premier’s office, looks shonky. Has the new chair been working on Premier Rockliff’s ‘advice’?

“A Premier who promised to govern with ‘heart’ looks set to sideline proper process, be complicit in nepotism and alienate a massive segment of the community that loves kunanyi and appreciates transparency and accountability in Government. This is the Tamar Valley pulp mill all over again, and just look at how that worked out,- for the project, Gunns and Premier Paul Lennon, who left office with a 17% approval rating.”

More information: Nala Mansell Campaign Manager Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre – 0428 662 228 or Vica Bayley Spokesperson ROCC – 0400 644 939

Read the full submission here:

https://kunanyinocablecar.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ROCC-response-to-WPT-Visitor-and-Recreation-Strategy-Draft-Plan-Nov-2022.pdf

Residents Opposed to the Cable Car (ROCC) have reacted with disappointment at the news the Mount Wellington Cableway Company (MWCC) will appeal the Hobart City Council’s refusal of a planning permit to build the cable car and its mass tourism precinct on kunanyi/Mt Wellington.

read the full media release (PDF)