Opposition Secures Inquiry into Land Development and Planning in WA

Media Release | 13 August 2025

Hon. Neil Thomson MLC
Shadow Minister for Planning and Lands

The State Opposition has welcomed the establishment of a Select Committee into Land Development and Planning in Western Australia.

The Motion was passed in the Legislative Council today and will see a Select Committee examine the optimality, efficiency, integrity and probity of planning and land development decisions in WA, including:

• The alignment of decisions with local planning schemes, strategies and frameworks;

• The transparency and probity of land transactions by agencies such as DevelopmentWA and the WA Planning Commission; and
  
• High-profile projects, including the proposed Burswood motorsports facility and the Smiths Beach development proposal.

Shadow Minister of Planning and Lands Hon Neil Thomson MLC said Western Australians must have absolute confidence that planning and development decisions were being made in the public interest — transparently, fairly and with integrity.

“Whether it’s a major development in the metropolitan area or a significant project in the regions, Western Australians deserve a planning system that is efficient, clear and transparent to all,” he said.

“Our planning system must deliver the best outcomes for the state as a whole, and this inquiry will be an important step in ensuring that happens.

“Recent concerns raised by the Auditor General and the failure by Government to provide detailed responses to questions in Parliament are also a catalyst to this inquiry.

“This Committee will also enable a clear focus on the decision making around projects like the Burswood racetrack, where we have seen the interests of the community put second to the Premier’s wrong priorities.

“It’s important that in the face of an unprecedented housing and accommodation crisis in our State, there is a forensic assessment of the way our planning system is functioning, while maintaining community buy-in to decisions that affect local communities.”

The Committee will report within 12 months.
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ENDS