Ten regional plans will be delivered in priority development regions whilst assessment processes will be streamlined and compliance will be strengthened under a package of reforms which will be included in the Commonwealth Budget.

But whilst the plans have been welcomed by development lobby groups, they have been slammed by environment groups as an attempt to circumvent important environmental protections.

In a joint statement, Federal Environment Minister Susan Ley and Minister for Resources and Water Keith Pitt have unveiled a $128 million package for reform of environmental protection which will be included in the upcoming budget on March 29.

The package includes:

• $62.3 million to deliver as many as 10 regional plans in priority development regions. These will protect areas of environmental significance, streamline assessments and manage cumulative impacts.
• $37.9 million to support the streamlining of assessment processes. This includes $10 million to progress single touch approval processes which aims to eliminate the need for many projects to obtain separate state and Commonwealth environmental approval. It also includes $27.9 million to continue on time assessment determinations – the latter of which have risen to 96 percent in the last three years.
• $28.4 million to support informed decision making including $12 million to modernise the environmental offsets policy, $9.5 million to improve compliance, $4.9 million to strengthen our knowledge base of protected plants and animals and $2 million to scope a new advisory committee to provide expert industry and technology advice to government.

The ten regional plans will aim to streamline development approvals within specific areas which have been identified as priority areas for development to occur – especially those which involve important resources.

The plans will aim to give greater certainty to investors by identifying specific areas within particular regions where development activities may occur whilst ensuring that environmental protections are maintained at a regional level.

Ley says the funding package will help to strengthen environmental protections whilst removing blockages for important developments.

“This is a package that will improve the quality and reliability of data used in assessments and decision making, ensure greater transparency and flexibility around environmental offsets and reduce duplication and delay in the assessment and approval process,” Ley said.

“It represents another important step in delivering much needed environmental reform that reduces unnecessary delay and duplication, while strengthening safeguards.”

The latest announcement follows a wide-ranging review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 which was conducted by Professor Graham Sameul AEC – the final report for which made 38 recommendations and was released in 2020.

In its response, the government says it plans to introduce reforms over several stages.

The latest package has been welcomed by development industry lobby groups but slammed by environmental groups.

Maxwell Shifman, National President of the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) says the package will help to set Australia on the pathway toward a simple and streamlined system for preserving important flora and fauna.

Through he stresses that the policy detail will be important, Shifman says that streamlining environmental approval is one of the most important factors in unlocking delivery of new housing in a timely manner.

As for suggestions about watering down environmental protections, Shifman says the focus is not upon removing protections but rather making requirements and processes as efficient as possible.

“These are a well-balanced set of reforms that show Government has a thoughtful approach to the environment and the economy that are the first steps to help Australia get back on track,” Shiffman said.

But Wilderness Society National Environment Law Manager Suzanne Milthorpe accused the government of attempting to circumvent important protections for sensitive natural landscapes and wildlife.

Milthorpe says the Government is trying to achieve bilateral agreements by stealth after bills to enable the Commonwealth to streamline environmental assessments through bilateral agreements with the states failed to pass in 2020.

Milthorpe said the final report of the Samuel Review provided a sensible roadmap to protecting natural landscapes and wildlife whilst providing certainty for business.

“Given the Government’s track record, we’re concerned that this seems like yet another step towards granting an industry free-for-all than an effort to protect nature,” Milthorpe said.

“There have been twenty years of government reviews, audits and State of the Environment reports all saying the one thing: Australia’s wildlife and natural landscapes are being destroyed because our environment laws are being sidelined in favour of fossil fuel and developer interests.

“How much more habitat destruction and wildlife extinction do they want industry to cause?”