The Australian federal government is looking to pass significant reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act by end of the calendar year. This announcement is the result of strong leadership from Murray Watt, Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia. After a recent REE round table, Watt has moved up the timeline for these changes dramatically. He strikes a balance between protecting the environment and needing to develop.
The EPBC Act, once widely reproached for doing nothing, was itself under review by Graeme Samuel. The overarching conclusion of this review is that the legislation is not currently providing the right level of support to nature or to business interests. Samuel’s recommendations include establishing “no-go” zones—areas where development will not be permitted—to safeguard critical habitats and heritage sites across Australia.
Introduction of ‘No-Go’ Zones
Minister for Agriculture and Emergency Management Murray Watt has assured campaigners that the proposed reforms will cover the establishment of “no-go” zones. This feature will be extremely important during the reconstruction. These zones ensure long-lasting conservation of crucial habitats and areas. They accomplish this without requiring prescriptive ways of meeting these results.
“This approach – identifying ‘go’ and ‘no go’ zones in various regions up-front – would shift the focus from project-by-project development, to effective planning for our environment and for sustainable development,” – Senator Murray Watt
Relatedly, the creation of “no-go” zones would help streamline the regulatory process by identifying areas where projects likely wouldn’t be approved. This is in line with Watt’s stated goals of tackling historic backlogs in project approvals tied to current planning regulations.
Addressing Delays in Project Approvals
Cumulative delays due to dysfunctional planning laws have held up thousands of projects, most notably in the fast-growing renewable energy industry. Approximately 50 percent of the backlogged projects are for renewable energy projects. Combined with these initiatives, we are finally on the right track to reach Australia’s climate goals.
Watt’s reforms will need to strike a balance between speeding up these approvals and protecting our environment by keeping protections in place. We agree with Minister McNaughton that smart and integrated planning is the best route to saving more taxpayer money through streamlined bureaucratic redundancies.
“If we are to reach our ambitious climate and renewable goals, we need to ensure our environmental laws are working and unnecessary duplication is removed,” – Senator Murray Watt
To underpin these reforms, tests of regional plans are already rolling out in states such as Queensland. These tests are originally wind farm developments in Collinsville and mineral mining in Julia Creek and Richmond.
Ongoing Consultations and Future Discussions
The federal government continues to express an interest in working with stakeholders to inform the entire reform process. Watt declared victory when the government promised to bring forward the environmental improvements in November. This important decision follows months of detailed discussions with all parties concerned.
Fierce arguments ahead of the federal election brought down the last bid to reform the EPBC Act. As a result, this scenario has brought new urgency to the national effort we’re now leading. Watt is expected to shed more light in a scheduled Tuesday afternoon press conference.
“Individually, developments may have minimal impact on the national environment, but their combined impact can result in significant long-term damage.” – Senator Murray Watt
This complete reworking is intended as an effort to provide greater environmental safeguards. It supports a long-term sustainable development framework that’s good for nature, good for Australians and good for Australian business.
