The three possible answers
Before an application is worth lodging, work out which category your tree is in.
Exempt. Below the size thresholds in the council's tree management controls, a listed exempt species, dead, or an immediate risk. No approval needed, but keep evidence of why you believed it was exempt.
Clearly protected, weak case. A healthy native canopy tree in good condition, being removed because of leaf litter, shade or a view. These applications generally do not succeed, and no amount of paperwork changes that.
Protected, arguable case. A protected tree with a genuine reason — structural defect, decline, damage to a building, or conflict that cannot be managed by pruning. This is the application worth preparing properly.
What to put in it
Species and botanical name, height and trunk diameter, and its position on the property relative to buildings and boundaries. Photographs: the whole tree from a distance, the base and root zone, the main forks, and close-ups of any defect, decay or damage you are relying on.
Then the reason, stated specifically. "It is too big" is not a reason. "The trunk has a basal cavity occupying most of the cross-section and the tree overhangs a bedroom" is. If you are claiming damage to a structure, photograph the damage and, where you can, show the link to the tree rather than asserting it.
When you need an arborist report
Where the case rests on tree health or structural condition, a report from a consulting arborist holding an AQF Level 5 qualification is normally what carries weight. It is a paid professional service, it takes site time, and the arborist's name is on it — which is exactly why it counts.
You do not need one for a straightforward exempt-species removal, and paying for one to support a weak case is money spent for nothing. Ask for an honest read on your chances first.
What tends to get approved
Environmental weed species. Trees with demonstrated structural defects. Trees in irreversible decline. Trees genuinely damaging a building where the damage is evidenced. Removals where a replacement planting is offered — and offering one in the application often helps.
What tends not to
Healthy native canopy trees removed for shade, leaf drop, gutters or views. Trees the neighbour dislikes. And anything where the application is lodged after the chainsaw has already been used, which is a different and much more expensive conversation.
Do not skip it
Removing a protected tree without approval is an offence, and the penalty lands on the property owner. Contractors who say it will be fine are not the ones who pay.
If your block backs onto bushland, check whether a 10/50 clearing entitlement applies before assuming you need an application at all. Otherwise the removal page explains how the assessment fits into a quote, or call (02) 9538 7974.