Council
20 November, 2025
Planning Systems Reform Bill an ‘erosion of democracy’
Goulburn-Mulwaree mayor Nina Dillion has described the NSW Government’s new Planning Systems Reforms Bill as an “erosion of democracy”.
Goulburn-Mulwaree mayor Nina Dillon has described the NSW Government’s new Planning Systems Reforms Bill as an “erosion of democracy”.
Cr Dillon said the Bill would exclude elected councillors from any role in determining development applications (DAs) in their area and has vowed to fight the changes.
She said the decision to establish Local Planning Panels (LPPs) across the state by July 1 next year and to strip elected councillors of their decision-making powers in relation to DAs had come as a complete surprise.
However Minister for Planning Paul Scully has agreed to a delay on the implementation of LPPs pending further engagement with Local Government NSW (LGNSW) and affected councils.
Cr Dillon said councils and peak representative bodies had never been consulted on this particular aspect of the reforms and she would follow the advice of metropolitan mayors and “fight like hell” to keep decisions relating to DAs in the hands of people who have been democratically elected.
She said Goulburn-Mulwaree Council only dealt with about three percent of DAs given most were approved under delegation or were dealt with by the Regional Planning Panel or the State Government as State Significant Developments.
But it was the small number of DAs that came before council that potentially had the biggest impact on the community.
The NSW Government’s Planning Systems Reform Bill 2025 passed both houses of Parliament on May 12.
It has been described as the most significant overhaul of the Environmental and Planning Assessment Act 1979 in more than a generation, paving the way for a faster, fairer and more modern planning system.
“These reforms will help us build more homes faster, in the right places, giving young people and families the chance to access a home,” Premier Chris Minns said in a media release issued on November 12.
The media release lists a number of ‘key reforms’ but makes no mention of LPPs.
LPPs are already in place in Greater Sydney and in Wollongong and one was established in the Wingecarribee after it was placed in administration.
The Wingecarribee LPP consists of three experts and one independent community member but no elected councillors.
The Southern Wire understands that the new LPPs – including the one in Goulburn-Mulwaree – will include an approved independent person (with relevant experience) appointed as the chairperson, two other approved independent persons with relevant experience and a representative of the community who is not a councillor or a mayor.
Councillors, property developers and realtors will all be ineligible as panellists.
In a Notice of Motion tabled at Tuesday night’s council meeting, Cr Dillon said the lack of consultation on this critical aspect of the reforms had been “astounding”.
“At no time were councils advised that an element of the reforms would strip elected councillors of the role of being able to consider DAs within their LGA,” Cr Dillon said.
“We had clearly been consulted on almost all other aspects of the reforms, yet the removal of decision-making powers from councillors was surprisingly never raised.”
Cr. Dillon’s Mayoral Minute was carried unanimously.
Council will now write to the NSW Premier, the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the Minister for Local Government and the Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman expressing “deep disappointment” over the decision to exclude elected councillors from DA decisions.
It has called for immediate inclusion of councillor representation on LPPs – which is current practice with Regional Planning Panels.
The Motion also calls on the NSW Government to work with Goulburn-Mulwaree Council and other councils across the state to review this specific change “with the objective of retaining the current system that allows elected councillors to fulfil their vital civic role of representing their communities through active involvement in DA decision-making”.
Discussing the Notice of Motion, Cr Jason Shepherd said the reforms would reduce the community’s voice in the decision-making process.
He said members of the community had a right to access decision-makers and this wouldn’t be the case with LPPs.
Cr Shepherd described it as “a short-sighted decision and the wrong decision”.
Cr Christopher O’Mahony asked whether there was still time for an amendment or if it was a “done deal”.
“There’s still hope,” Cr Dillon said.
She said Goulburn-Mulwaree Council would work with local government representative bodies including Regional Cities NSW and the NSW Country Mayors’ Association to demand change.
There would also be a motion to the Local Government NSW annual conference which kicks off in Penrith this coming Sunday, November 23.
In a letter to president of the NSWLGA Phyllis Miller dated November 19 Minister Scully said the removal of Regional Planning Panels (RPPs) and the implementation of LPPs would occur in “carefully staged approaches” over the next 12 months after widespread consultation.
He said the NSW Government would be establishing a Planning Systems Reform Reference group “to support the effective implementation of the planning system reforms”.
“The aim of these reforms is to make the planning system faster and fairer so that it works better for communities, councils and the people delivering the homes and infrastructure our state needs,” Minister Scully said.
“The NSW Government looks forward to continuing to work with LGNSW on the successful implementation of these reforms.”
Ms Miller said LGNSW would continue to advocate for the inclusion of elected representatives on any future LPPs and the ability of councils to determine DAs.
She said the reforms would only work with “broad, open and meaningful sector consultation”.
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