Are you preparing a fast-track approval application? If so, you need to be aware of changes taking effect on 31 March 2026. The Fast-track Approvals Amendment Act 2025 amends the fast-track approvals process in several respects. It will affect how applications are prepared, consulted on, assessed and decided. The key amendments are summarised below.
Key changes under the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Act 2025
The mandatory consultation obligations are replaced with notification requirements except in very limited circumstances. For both referral and substantive applications, applicants are now only required to notify specified parties rather than consult with them. If notified parties wish to make comments, they will need to respond within 20 working days of receiving the notice. Any applicant must then provide a summary of how responses have informed the project in a referral application or an application for a listed project.
