NSW Planning Reforms Raise Fears of Unchecked Development

On October 1st, 2025, environmental groups in New South Wales (NSW) raised concerns that proposed changes to the state's planning laws could facilitate the fast-tracking of mining projects, wind farms, and other developments without proper environmental assessments.

The reforms, announced by the NSW government in September, were initially billed as a way to speed up housing approvals. However, the Environmental Defenders Office and other green groups warn that the changes are not limited to housing and could have much broader implications.

Under the proposed legislation, the planning minister would gain the power to designate certain types of projects as eligible for a "targeted development assessment" process. This would effectively "switch off a range of important environmental assessment and oversight requirements," according to the EDO.

The critics also argue that the reforms would strip public interest considerations from the planning process if the minister chooses to use this new streamlined assessment path. Additionally, they say the changes contradict recommendations by the Independent Commission Against Corruption to keep planning decisions on specific projects away from politicians due to the risk of corruption.

The NSW Nature Conservation Council's chief executive, Jacqui Mumford, expressed surprise that the Minns government had proposed these changes, given the "corrupt conduct that was exposed" involving former Labor minister Eddie Obeid. She called for the bill to be sent to a committee for further scrutiny.

The planning minister, Paul Scully, has insisted that the targeted assessment process would only apply to low-impact developments where upfront community consultation has already occurred, not major proposals with significant potential impacts. However, environmental groups remain concerned that the broad language of the reforms could enable the fast-tracking of a wide range of projects without proper environmental safeguards.