In short:
A new planning portal meant to speed up development approvals has turned into a state government debacle.
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portal → mean → debacle
PlanBuild was intended as an easy-to-use online catch-all for building development applications, replacing the paper-based system, but the scheme's trial adopter, Hobart City Council, has labelled it "unfit for purpose".
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adopter → intend → purpose
The department behind the trial says it is working to fix "user functionality issues" before rolling it out statewide.
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it → say → it
The Tasmanian government has suffered a $6.5 million cost blowout on its signature PlanBuild program, a new planning portal that was meant to speed up development approvals but has turned into a debacle.
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that → suffer → debacle
PlanBuild was intended to be rolled out statewide.
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PlanBuild → intend → ?
Hobart City Council was the first to adopt the system when it went live in 2024, but the council says its implementation has frustrated council staff, residents and industry alike.
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implementation → adopt → staff
On Monday, the council unanimously backed a motion expressing its concern.
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council → back → concern
The motion described PlanBuild as "unfit for purpose", and called for an indefinite waiver of the annual $83,000 in fees paid to the Department of Justice — which runs the program — until the system is fixed.
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system → describe → program
Hobart councillor Louise Elliott, who introduced the motion and has been campaigning on the issue of planning costs and delays, described PlanBuild as "lose, lose, lose".
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who → introduce → PlanBuild
"Everyone's losing.
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Everyone → lose → ?
[Hobart City Council] lose because it's a system that we have and people quite rightly think that it's our system, so we bear the heat and the reputational impact of that," she said.
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she → lose → that
"The taxpayers lose because we've now spent [more than] $12 million and 10 years on a system that is making people pull their hair out, and the community loses because it's another deterrent and another barrier to housing."
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it → lose → housing
The motion was supported by the council administration, who conceded the program's launch had been "very difficult for officers and applicants".
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launch → support → officers
Scheme 'not up to scratch'
PlanBuild was conceived more than a decade ago, when former premier Peter Gutwein was treasurer and planning minister.
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Gutwein → conceive → scratch
Mr Gutwein had pushed for a uniform statewide planning scheme to cover Tasmania's 29 councils.
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Gutwein → push → councils
The idea was to roll out a streamlined, easy-to-use online portal for all building, plumbing and development applications, replacing the paper-based system.
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idea → roll → system
Work started in the 2016-17 financial year, with a budget of $9.7 million — including $6.4 million in Commonwealth Small Business Regulatory Reform Agenda funding — after external tenders were called for by the Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) arm of the Justice Department.
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tenders → start → Department
"We were big backers of PlanBuild when it was initially brought to industry's attention," Mr Price said.
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Price → bring → attention
"We're still wedded to the PlanBuild promise: something that will make it simpler, easier, quicker to manage applications right across the state.
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it → wed → state
"
Unfortunately, the trial has not gone well.
"
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trial → go → ?
Our members right across Tasmania and particularly here in the south have been saying that PlanBuild is not up to scratch," Mr Price said.
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Price → say → scratch
"It's not working as intended and it's not making their lives easier, [and it] isn't delivering the efficiencies that the Tasmanian government had promised.
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government → work → that
"What we've seen is a clunky product that isn't delivering benefits to industry and isn't delivering benefits in the Hobart community.
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that → see → community
"
Maree Ashworth, client liaison officer for Hobart-based builders Ronald Young + Co Builders, deals with the PlanBuild system daily, and said she finds it incredibly frustrating.
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it → base → system
Ms Ashworth told the ABC that for builds within the City of Hobart, her company hands the documentation over to somebody else to lodge through PlanBuild.
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company → tell → PlanBuild
"We would rather put the projects to a planner, than use the system,"she said.
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We → put → system,"she
That preference means added costs on all sides.
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preference → mean → sides
Mr Price echoed her concerns.
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Price → echo → concerns
"We hear feedback from members who are architects, designers, builders and plumbers that the PlanBuild portal is too difficult to use," he said.
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he → hear → members
"We even hear from some members that they are charging more to do work in the City of Hobart area."
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they → hear → area
Last year the Justice Department waived the fee for 2025-26 in recognition that the system was not working, after a similar motion by Cr Elliott was passed by Hobart City Council.
In May, the department agreed to a PlanBuild remediation project plan.
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department → waive → plan
The plan, obtained by the ABC, aimed to address the council's concerns by February 2027 and lay the foundation for a statewide rollout.
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plan → obtain → rollout
In June, CBOS executive director Robyn Pearce told a parliamentary estimates committee hearing: "We're working with City of Hobart to ensure that some of the user functionality issues that are being addressed are put into place [and] we'll then be looking to roll it out to further councils."
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we → tell → councils
She conceded the PlanBuild budget had increased from the original $9.7 million to $12.8 million.
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budget → concede → million
The $3.1 million difference was attributed mainly to delays with the rollout, which led to a loss of expected revenue from other councils due to take up the scheme.
Additionally, only $3 million of the expected $6.4 million in Commonwealth funding was received, with the final $3.4 million withheld due to the expiry of the original grant.
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million → attribute → grant
That blowout has left the state's taxpayers $6.5 million worse off, as the original expected state outlay of $3.3 million has now risen to $9.8 million — a three-fold increase.
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outlay → leave → million
In correspondence with Cr Elliott, a spokesperson for the Justice Department said the total spending to date was just more than $11.6 million, of which some $3.45 million had been paid to the external developer.
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million → say → developer
"Rollout of the system to further councils remains on hold while post-implementation system enhancements are completed," the departmental spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → remain → hold
"The final cost of statewide implementation cannot be determined at this point."
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cost → determine → point
Cr Elliott told the ABC that despite the remediation work underway, "I do have genuine concerns that even with that extra work and the extra time and the extra money that it absorbs that we still won't end up with a product that's fit for purpose".
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that → tell → purpose
…and 13 more, not listed.