The Leader of the WA Nationals, Shane Love MLA, has strongly condemned the Cook
Labor Government’s move to legislate Development Assessment Panels (DAPs), labelling
them a blatant affront to local democracy and an assault on the values of Western
Australian communities.
Speaking in Parliament this week, Mr. Love criticised the centralisation of decision-making
powers in the hands of the Labor Government, a move he said strips Local Governments
of their ability to make decisions which reflect the unique needs and concerns of their
communities.
“Development decisions should be guided by those who understand the local community
best. Under Labor, DAPs have been overrun by ‘technical experts’ and have sidelined
local perspectives. It needs to change.”
Labor’s Local Government Amendment Bill before Parliament this week, included a clause
removing council input from the Responsible Authority Report for the Development
Assessment Panels (DAP).
Mr. Love says this change undermines transparency and accountability, allowing State-appointed panels to make decisions without the vital input of elected representatives who know their regions best.
Mr. Love reiterated The Nationals WA’s commitment to reforming the DAP system, when
elected in 2025.
“The Nationals WA believe in empowering local communities, not diminishing their role in
shaping their future. This why we are committed to fixing the DAP process to ensure local
representation and community engagement are at the heart of planning decisions.”
Mr. Love said under The Nationals WA’s proposed reforms, an additional Local
Government representative would be added to each DAP, delivering equal representation
between local representatives and Ministerial-appointed specialists.
“This will restore balance and ensure local voices are not drowned out by bureaucratic
processes.” Mr. Love said.
The Nationals WA have also committed to raising the financial threshold for projects
referred to DAPs from $2 million to $5 million, ensuring minor projects, such as childcare
centers, service stations, and gyms, are decided at the local level.
“With escalating construction costs, relatively minor projects are bypassing local planning
laws and going straight to DAPs, sidestepping crucial community input,” Mr. Love said.
“Raising this threshold will streamline the process, allowing truly significant projects to
beprioritised while ensuring local voices are heard on smaller developments.”
Almost 35 per cent of applications currently before DAPs are for projects valued under
$5 million, including small businesses and residential developments.
“These types of projects should be handled by Local Governments to ensure proper
consideration of issues such as noise, traffic, and parking, which are best understood by
the communities affected.”
“We shouldn’t be seeing developers bypass local planning regulations just because their
projects exceed a financial threshold which has been deliberately kept low.” Mr. Love said.
“Nor should major housing or industry projects of state-significance be held up because
minor developments are clogging up the system.”
These reforms are closely aligned with the advocacy positions of the WA Local
Government Association, demonstrating The Nationals WA’s commitment to listening to
communities across the state.
