36192 (2026). Hon Damien O'Connor to the Associate Minister of Finance

36192 (2026). Hon Damien O'Connor to the Associate Minister of Finance: Was the figure of 71 working days cited in his press release of 13 July 2026 calculated on the same basis, and in respect of the same population of applications, as the figure of 23 working days cited in the same release, and what changes, if any, have been made since 2023 to the definition of processing time, including to the circumstances in which the statutory timeframe is stopped or suspended?

Hon David Seymour: Yes, the figures were calculated for the same population. The figures were calculated as the average timeframe for a decision for a consent application (excluding consents to acquire a home for personal use such as One Home to Live In and Intention to Reside consents). It included all decisions e.g. consents granted, declined, withdrawn. The figure of 71 working days was for consent decisions made in the 2023/2024 financial year (1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024). The figure of 23 working days was for consent decisions made in the 2025/2026 financial year (1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026). A change was made from 6 March 2026 which meant that the timeframes for consents under the production forestry, primary consent or $5 million plus house pathways are not able to be paused.