{"id":"tas:sr-1999-030","name":"State Policies and Projects (Project of State Significance) Order 1999","slug":"state-policies-and-projects-project-of-state-significance-order-1999","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"tas","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"30 of 1999","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":318968,"registerId":"tas-tas:sr-1999-030-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-08","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Short title","content":"### 1 Short title\n\n> This order may be cited as the [State Policies and Projects (Project of State Significance) Order 1999](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/sr-9999-999) .","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Commencement","content":"### 2 Commencement\n\n> This order is of no effect until it has been approved by both Houses of Parliament under [section 18 of the](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-1993-065#GS18@EN) [State Policies and Projects Act 1993](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/act-1993-065) .","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Project of State significance","content":"### 3 Project of State significance\n\n> The proposal by Basslink Pty. Ltd. (ACN 061 253 549) for the establishment of an interconnection linking the Tasmanian and Victorian electricity grids by a high voltage direct current submarine cable across Bass Strait is declared to be a project of State significance.\n\nDisplayed and numbered in accordance with the *[Rules Publication Act 1953](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1953-050)*.\n\nNotified in the *Gazette* on 19 April 1999\n\nThis order is administered in the Department of Premier and Cabinet.","sortOrder":2}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on available information, the order appears to serve its original purpose as a declaration instrument under the State Policies and Projects Act 1993. It has remained in force since 22 April 1999 with no indication of material scope change, though the Table of Amendments should be consulted to confirm."},"complexity_factors":["Operates as a subordinate instrument (statutory order) under a parent Act, requiring understanding of both the order and the enabling legislation","Triggers a separate and complex approval regime under the State Policies and Projects Act 1993","The specific project being declared is not visible in the provided text, making full analysis impossible","Interacts with multiple layers of planning law — state versus local government jurisdiction","Has been in force since 1999 with potential amendments, requiring checking of amendment history for current effect","Scope and impact depend heavily on the specific project named, which is not disclosed in this extract"],"plain_english_summary":"This order formally designates a specific development as a \"Project of State Significance,\" removing it from normal local planning processes and routing assessment and approval to the Tasmanian government. It affects the project proponent, local councils (whose planning authority is displaced), and community participants, and matters because it concentrates decision-making and triggers a separate, state-level assessment regime for projects with broad public impact."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The order does not amend the Act’s text or statutory scope. It applies the Act’s project-designation mechanism to a named proposal by declaring that proposal a project of State significance (see section 3). The instrument’s effect is declaratory and project-specific; commencement is subject to approval under section 18 of the State Policies and Projects Act 1993 (section 2)."},"complexity_factors":["Single, short operative declaration (section 3) — low textual complexity.","Cross-reference to the State Policies and Projects Act 1993 (imposes external legal effects not set out in this instrument).","Commencement conditional on approval under section 18 of the State Policies and Projects Act 1993 (section 2) — requires action outside the instrument before effect.","Specific identification of the proponent by name and ACN (section 3) — narrows application to a discrete private actor.","Administrative assignment to the Department of Premier and Cabinet (administration noted at end) — concentrates decision–administration locus."],"plain_english_summary":"This order declares Basslink Pty. Ltd.’s proposal to link the Tasmanian and Victorian electricity grids by a high-voltage DC submarine cable across Bass Strait to be a “project of State significance.” It directly names the proponent and the project and therefore brings the proposal within the special project-designation regime under the State Policies and Projects framework, affecting the proponent, relevant planning and regulatory agencies, and parties involved in approvals."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[{"type":"self_contradicting","section":"Status Information / Currency of version","severity":"medium","reasoning":"The currency statement implies the version has been current and unchanged since 22 April 1999, yet the authorisation section records a file modification date of 14 January 2025. These two statements are mutually inconsistent on their face, though this may reflect a drafting or publishing convention rather than a substantive legal flaw.","confidence":0.65,"description":"The document states it is 'Version current from 22 April 1999 to date' while simultaneously acknowledging the file was 'last modified 14 January 2025'. A version cannot simultaneously be unchanged from 1999 and modified in 2025."},{"type":"self_contradicting","section":"Table of Amending Instruments","severity":"medium","reasoning":"The existence of a Table of Amending Instruments is inconsistent with an unqualified statement that the version is 'current from 22 April 1999 to date'. If amending instruments exist, the document is not in its original 1999 form, and the currency descriptor is misleading or inaccurate.","confidence":0.6,"description":"The document references a 'Table of Amendments' via hyperlink, implying amendments exist, yet the currency statement suggests the version has been current and unchanged since 22 April 1999. If amendments exist, the version cannot be accurately described as current from its original commencement date without qualification."},{"type":"impossible_compliance","section":"Entire document","severity":"high","reasoning":"An Order of State Significance under the State Policies and Projects Act 1993 (Tas) must designate a specific project as a Project of State Significance to have operative legal effect. No such designation, description, or operative clause appears in the provided text. Whether this is a publication error or a genuine drafting omission, the instrument as presented is legally inert.","confidence":0.75,"description":"The Order purports to be a substantive legislative instrument ('Project of State Significance' Order) but the provided text contains no operative provisions whatsoever — only metadata, status information, and navigation elements. A legislative order with no substantive content cannot perform any legal function."},{"type":"other","section":"Status Information — update commitment","severity":"low","reasoning":"A commitment qualified by 'usually' sets no binding standard and creates an expectation of currency that cannot be relied upon legally. While this is a publishing note rather than operative law, it undermines the reliability of the legislative instrument as accessed.","confidence":0.5,"description":"The site commits to updating legislation 'usually within 3 working days after a change', yet the file modification date (14 January 2025) cannot be verified against any stated change date. The qualifier 'usually' renders compliance with this commitment practically unverifiable and unenforceable."}],"contradictions":[{"severity":"medium","section_a":"Currency of version — 'Version current from 22 April 1999 to date'","section_b":"Authorisation — 'File last modified 14 January 2025'","confidence":0.65,"description":"The currency statement asserts the version has been current since 22 April 1999 without interruption, while the authorisation section records a modification as recently as 14 January 2025, directly contradicting the implication of an unaltered 1999 instrument."},{"severity":"medium","section_a":"Currency of version — 'Version current from 22 April 1999 to date'","section_b":"Table of Amending Instruments — hyperlink to amendments table","confidence":0.6,"description":"The existence of a dedicated Table of Amending Instruments contradicts the unqualified currency statement. If no amendments existed, the table would be empty or absent; its presence signals changes to the instrument inconsistent with a straightforward reading of the currency descriptor."}]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This legislation has not grown beyond its original intent. It was designed to declare one specific project (Basslink) as a project of State significance, and that is exactly what it does. There are no subsequent amendments, expansions, or creeping additions visible in this version."},"complexity_factors":["Only 3 operative sections (short title, commencement, and the declaration itself)","Zero defined terms","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the parent Act citation","No conditional logic, exceptions, or procedural requirements beyond parliamentary approval","Single, unambiguous declaration of one specific project","Total length: approximately 150 words of substantive content"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does**\n\nThis is a short, specific order that gives special status to a major energy project: the **Basslink** electricity cable connecting Tasmania and Victoria.\n\n**Who it affects**\n\n- **Basslink Pty. Ltd.** – the company proposing to build the cable\n- **Tasmanian and Victorian governments** – because the project crosses state boundaries\n- **The public** – because projects of \"State significance\" get streamlined planning and approval processes under Tasmanian law\n\n**Why it matters**\n\nNormally, big infrastructure projects must go through multiple layers of planning approvals, environmental checks, and local government processes. By declaring Basslink a \"project of State significance,\" this order fast-tracks the approvals under Tasmania's *State Policies and Projects Act 1993*. \n\nThe cable itself was a big deal: a high-voltage undersea power line across Bass Strait (about 370km) that let Tasmania export excess hydroelectric power to the mainland, and import power when its dams were low. This order was the legal trigger that let the project bypass normal planning hurdles and get built.\n\n**In short**: This is a one-page permission slip from 1999 that said \"this specific electricity cable is important enough to get special treatment.\""}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/state-policies-and-projects-project-of-state-significance-order-1999","history":"/api/acts/state-policies-and-projects-project-of-state-significance-order-1999/history","analysis":"/api/acts/state-policies-and-projects-project-of-state-significance-order-1999/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/state-policies-and-projects-project-of-state-significance-order-1999/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/state-policies-and-projects-project-of-state-significance-order-1999/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/state-policies-and-projects-project-of-state-significance-order-1999/documents"}}