Yeah, when I lived in regional Victoria, we had similar issues with council wanting you to pay for a new curb in front of the house and even extend it down to a point that made it ridiculously expensive. Footpaths are also a pain.
It's always great when you can get a due diligence clause accepted, but you're right, it depends on the market. In Melbourne and Sydney, a lot of investors are on-selling properties with approved plans and permits, but in regional areas, the land isn't usually valuable enough to get a profit. And the stamp duty is definitely a pain. Makes it really hard to flip properties.