Labor to slash green tape with new environmental approval laws

Major job-creating projects are set to see an end to multi-year delays caused by complicated approvals processes, with Labor introducing much-promised green tape reforms to Parliament on Wednesday. Under the reforms, informed by the review of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Government will allow other regulators to sign off on projects while environmental impact assessments are being conducted. The move will help fast-track major projects, after the Vogel-McFerran Review into the EPA found the process was overly complex, time-consuming and costly, with limited additional environmental benefits. Currently, other agencies must wait for the environmental tick-off before starting their own approvals process — leading to multi-year delays for some projects. Other reforms to be introduced include a ban on appeals when the EPA decides not to review a project, a new “statement of expectations” for the agency, and an expansion of the board to up to nine members, from its current five. The Government will also jack up penalties for work undertaken without environmental approvals, doubling to $125,000 for an individual, and $250,000 for a body corporate. A previous commitment, to give the Environment Minister the ability to direct the EPA to assess a significant project within a timeframe, was scrapped, with existing laws already giving the Government that power. But those laws have not been used to date. The new laws include a new transparency clause, so if the Government uses this power, it would be required to publish the reason behind the decision. Premier Roger Cook said the laws struck the right balance of reducing delays and duplication while maintaining high environmental standards. “For too long, major job-creating projects have been held up for years at a time by an inefficient, sluggish system that does not deliver any additional environmental outcomes,” he said. “These sensible reforms retain all environmental protections but streamline processes into a more efficient, responsive system. “Western Australia needs an environmental approvals framework that is modern, fit for purpose and delivers for the environment, the green energy transition and local jobs. “This legislation will ensure Western Australia continues to be the engine room of the nation and deliver on our ambitions to become a green energy powerhouse.” The changes, key recommendations of the Vogel-McFerran review, have previously been endorsed by the Liberal Party, who adopted several of the calls from the final report for policy ahead of the next State election. The Government has already implemented several of the review’s recommendations, including opening a CBD office for the EPA.