Local Government (Highways) Act 1982

A corporation may, in accordance with its by-laws, grant a person written permission to do any one or more of the following things on such conditions and for such consideration as the corporation, either generally or in a particular case, determines:open or break up the soil or pavement of a local highway; make a drain leading to a local highway; put or place a pipe or make a drain leading into a sewer or drain or other work of the corporation in or under a local highway; make an excavation, vault or cellar in or under a local highway; install, under a local highway, pipelines, pipe systems or other infrastructure required for the transmission, distribution or supply of natural gas or other gaseous fuels; erect a hoarding or scaffolding for building or any other purpose in or on a local highway.

Subject to any directions given by the corporation, its powers under subsection (1) to grant a permission may be exercised on its behalf by its mayor or by some other person authorized by it for that purpose.

The regulations may prescribe standard conditions that are taken to apply to every permission granted under subsection (1)(e) and, if such standard conditions are prescribed, the conditions that the corporation imposes on a permission granted by it under that subsection apply only in so far as they are not inconsistent with those standard conditions.

Without limiting the generality of subsection (2A), a standard condition may – impose requirements that the gas installer must comply with before, during or after the carrying out of the gas installation work; or require the gas installer to meet all or any part of the cost of the gas installation work; or require the gas installer to meet all or any part of the costs incurred by the corporation by reason of the proposal to carry out the gas installation work or the carrying out of that work; or impose a liability on the gas installer to pay monies to the corporation or any other person in relation to – loss or damage arising from or in connection with the gas installation work; or costs incurred in making good any deficiency in the gas installation work; or impose a liability on the gas installer to meet the cost of repairing any damage to the infrastructure installed by the gas installer resulting from a failure by the gas installer to – record or accurately record the location of the infrastructure; or inform or accurately inform any person of the location of the infrastructure.

Monies that are payable to the corporation or any other person under a standard condition may be recovered in a court of competent jurisdiction as a debt due to the corporation or that person.

By written notice served on a person to whom a permission under subsection (1) has been granted or the owner of any land in relation to which any work or other thing made, constructed, or placed in pursuance of the permission is being, or capable of being, used, the corporation may revoke the permission and require that the work or other thing be removed or filled up and the highway reinstated.

If, within the time specified in a notice served under subsection (3), any steps required to be taken in order to comply with the notice have not been taken, the corporation may itself take those steps and recover the expenses reasonably incurred in so doing from the person to whom the permission was granted or the owner of the land referred to in subsection (3).

Permission under this section does not give any right, title, or interest to or in the soil of or under any part of the highway, and does not bind a person other than the corporation and the grantee, except in so far as the act permitted would otherwise be a nuisance.

A person must not – without permission under subsection (1), do any of the things specified in that subsection; or contravene a condition subject to which a permission under subsection (1) is granted; or contravene a standard condition that, by virtue of subsection (2A), is taken to apply to a permission granted under subsection (1)(e). Fine not exceeding 100 penalty units.

A person may appeal to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal if – the person is aggrieved by the refusal of a corporation to grant the person a permission under subsection (1); or a corporation has granted, or indicated that it is willing to grant, the person a permission under subsection (1)(e) but the person considers that the conditions or consideration applying to the permission are unreasonable; or the person's permission under subsection (1)(e) has been revoked and the person is aggrieved by the revocation or the conditions of the revocation.

Except as provided by subsections (9) and (10), the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal is to hear and determine the appeal in accordance with the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2020.

Despite clause 7 of Part 8 of Schedule 2 to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2020, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal must not allow any person other than the person entitled to appeal by virtue of subsection (7) and the relevant corporation to be a party to the appeal.

For appeals under this section – the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal is to include a member whose appointment was on the ground that he or she has, in the opinion of the Governor, expertise or experience in road construction engineering; and that member is to be designated as such by the Governor, by instrument in writing, for the purposes of the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal's jurisdiction under this section.

In this section – gas installation work means work carried out pursuant to a permission granted under subsection (1)(e), including any work required by – a condition subject to which the permission is granted; or a standard condition that, by virtue of subsection (2A), is taken to apply to the permission; gas installer means a person granted permission under subsection (1) to carry out gas installation work.