Good planning is about genuinely and respectfully involving the community in informed discussion and development of a shared vision of how we want our cities, towns, suburbs, rural areas, parks, waterways and wilderness areas to be in 50 and 100 or more years' time, and ensuring we have a Planning system that facilitates and guides the delivery of the best possible sustainable future for Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Planning Information Network (TasPIN) is calling for:
- Sound, integrated, strategic planning to guide the best possible sustainable future for Tasmania;
- Planning processes that inform, inspire, involve, and are trusted by the community.
TasPIN's 10 point call for Tasmania's Planning System
To achieve the best possible sustainable future for our social, economic and ecological well-being, Tasmania's Planning system must be:
1. Visionary: provide a strategic vision of the best possible clean, green, sustainable future for Tasmania.
2. Planned outcomes: develop clear statements of the long-term goals for Tasmania’s optimal social, economic and ecological well-being.
3. Sound governance: be built on sound and transparent governance arrangements and decision-making processes that the whole community can trust, including the independence of the Tasmanian Planning authority.
4. Integrated Planning: promote an integrated approach to planning across all sectors and activities (e.g. including tourism, agriculture, forestry, mining, aquaculture, transport etc.), based on a cohesive system of legislation, plans, policies and strategies at all levels.
5. Consultative: inform and involve the community in respectful user-friendly ways, and provide meaningful opportunities for communities to have a say in determining the future character of their local areas and the places they care about.
6. Protect and care for the environment and our natural and cultural heritage: ensure Tasmania's unique and special qualities and beauty endure forever.
7. Enhance Tasmanians’ lifestyles and community liveability: contribute to community health, happiness and well-being, e.g. through protecting residential character and amenity from unreasonable impacts of development, and ensuring well-planned provision of appropriate infrastructure, transport and other community services and amenities including nearby parks and recreational opportunities for all.
8. Manage risks: ensure a proactive, strategic and precautionary approach is taken to addressing and managing known threats and risks including our ageing demographic, wildfire, climate change and sea level rise.
9. Measure and report progress towards planned goals: establish meaningful indicators and regularly monitor and publicly report on performance.
10. Informed, evidence-based and adaptive Planning: The Tasmanian Planning System must be underpinned and supported by sound information, management systems and decision-support tools.
Additional comments
- Tasmania is well placed to become a global exemplar of quality sustainable living in harmony with nature.
- Tasmania needs a best practice Planning System to create the best possible sustainable future for our collective well-being. For more information and ideas see Planning for Tasmania's sustainable future.
- The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a widely accepted framework that can be used to help guide the formulation of specific goals and targets that are relevant to Tasmanian communities at local, regional and state-wide levels.
- TasPIN urges all politicians and voters to consider very carefully the Planning policies and commitments of Tasmania's political parties and candidates. At election time, please make your vote count towards better Planning for better outcomes for Tasmania. See What Tasmania's political parties have to say.
- Everyone: Expect and demand quality Planning and respectful community involvement at all levels.