- Environmental Protection Act Amendment Bill
2024 passes through Parliament
- New laws to speed up approvals while retaining
strong environmental protections
- Introduces parallel approvals and Statement of
Expectation for the Environmental Protection Authority
The most significant
reforms to Western Australia's environmental approval laws in a generation have
passed Parliament, helping accelerate major job-creating projects while
maintaining Western Australia's world-class environmental standards.
The Environmental
Protection Act Amendment Bill 2024 delivers on the Cook Labor Government's
commitments in December last year to overhaul the State's environmental
approval laws in response to the Vogel-McFerran Review.
In the most significant
reform under the new legislation, other Government regulators will be able to process and issue their own approvals,
while the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) assessments are underway.
Under the new laws, the
Environment Minister will provide the EPA with a Statement of Expectation,
helping it to better understand the Government's priorities - including the
green energy transition, housing delivery, job creation and protection of WA's unique
environment.
The membership of the
independent EPA board will be expanded to between five and nine members, who
will be required to have skills or experience in specific disciplines important
to the functions of the EPA.
The reforms also remove
appeals against a decision made by the EPA not to assess a project, bringing WA
into line with other Australian jurisdictions by reducing unnecessary appeals
while retaining reasonable rights of appeal across the system.
The State Government has
now in part actioned 19 of the Vogel-McFerran Review's 39 recommendations,
including:
- opening a CBD office hub for the EPA;
- introducing a renewed graduate program,
recruitment strategy and mentoring program at the Department of Water and
Environmental Regulation; and
- exempting a range of amendments to regional and
local planning schemes from automatic referral to the EPA.
For more information on
the Environmental Protection Act Amendment Bill 2024, visit:
https://www.wa.gov.au/government/government-initiatives-and-projects/streamline-wa.
Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:
"Our environmental reforms will slash green tape and reduce duplication
while maintaining the highest environmental standards.
"These reforms fix longstanding issues in the approvals process to speed
up timeframes, without taking away the EPA's independence or changing the way
it assesses a project.
"I want WA to become a global renewable energy powerhouse, and our
reforms will help to ensure we secure the major renewable energy projects we
need to power the world's transition to net zero."
Comments attributed to Environment Minister Reece Whitby:
"The Cook Labor
Government has done more for WA's environment than any other government in our
State's history.
"We have ended native
logging, committed to retiring all State-owned coal-fired power by 2030, and
undertaken the largest-ever expansion of Western Australia's conservation
estate.
"These reforms will
ensure WA's high environmental protection standards are upheld while supporting
efficient processes for business.
"Importantly, these
reforms will not change how the EPA assesses environmental impact.
"They are sensible
changes that will streamline approval processes without compromising the EPA's
independence."
