Decades. Tasmania is forever locked in a cycle of endless planning for a plan.

Planning to the point where planning reform has been planned off the drawing board.

Inquiries and taskforces, consultation and more job losses, more lost developments, more hold-ups, more bureaucracy, more promises, more ministers, more waiting.

As Liberal planning opposition spokeswoman, Elise Archer once warned of the urgent need for planning reform.

‘‘Tasmania can become an attractive place for economic investment and thereby job creation. We just have to want to do it.’’

She was right. We just have to want to do it.

Tasmania has spent years on planning for this reform. 

At least five different planning ministers have each had a go. 

In 2004, then-minister Judy Jackson said Tasmania needed a robust system of planning.

The previous minister before the March election, Bryan Green, said it would be all stitched up by the end of 2012.

In the meantime, the state has been lumbered with up to 36 planning schemes – even greater than the number of councils.

Other states are well advanced with reforms, except poor old Tasmania, the basket case. 

Treasurer Peter Gutwein says new laws to underpin a statewide structure will be introduced early next year, which probably means an end to it by 2016.

At present a task force of prominent business people are working on reform.

What’s there to do?

The planning needed to streamline our current planning tangle, started when our young adults were babies.

At a special COAG meeting of premiers and territory chief ministers in Canberra today the states will be quizzed on their infrastructure plans.

Mr Gutwein had better get his answer ready. 

Tasmania has too many councils, too many planning schemes, too many excuses and a woeful lack of development.