‍Australia closed for business under Labor-Greens EPBC

‍Australia closed for business under Labor-Greens EPBC

The Coalition believes Labor’s environmental reforms, done in a last minute deal with the Greens, are a massive flop. While the updated Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) passed last year, the regulations are still being developed. The devil is very much in the detail.

The new EPBC rules are poorly formed, untested and risk further delaying essential projects, including those needed by Australians during the current cost of living, housing and fuel crisis.

Environmental approvals have taken gas and oil projects up to eight years to get off the ground. The US Energy Information Administration has revealed that Australia has 42 years of recoverable shale oil supply. But under the new EPBC Act, it is unclear whether this oil will ever be produced, so Australia will continue to import oil. New projects such as the Taroom Trough may never get off the ground.

The Coalition’s report into the bills finds that Australia is closed for business. There are long delays in infrastructure, energy and resources development projects across Australia. Evidence to the inquiry showed that thousands of homes are stuck in planning and environmental approval backlogs.

The new EPBC rules do not provide certainty for industry or conservation groups about what needs to be protected and what areas can be safely developed. The new EPBC system, and the related legislation and standards, is undemocratic. The reliance on legislative instruments means the Minister has made himself the King of the Environment and Industry.

Months after the Senate debate there are:

• No bilateral agreements with the states
• No regulations made
• Only two draft regulations provided

Murray Watt is all feathers and no meat. It’s another Labor spin machine success but policy failure.

We need to start again on environmental protection laws.

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