WA government to overhaul environmental approval process
The Premier has declared he's slashing 'green tape' in WA, detailing plans for a major overhaul of the Environmental Protection Authority's approvals process. Roger Cook says it will help the state become a clean energy powerhouse, but environmental groups and a former EPA chair are concerned the Authority's independence is being threatened.
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00:00 Sometimes when it's crowded you get bottlenecks which slow things down.
00:07 Roger Cook says there are so many projects knocking on WA's door, the EPA isn't keeping
00:13 pace.
00:14 It's a bitter irony that our environmental assessment process is now perceived as the
00:20 biggest barrier to our ambitions to becoming a renewable energy powerhouse.
00:27 Federal staff and external consultants will be brought in at a cost of $18 million to
00:32 clear the backlog.
00:33 The Environment Minister will also be given powers to push significant projects to the
00:39 front of the EPA's queue.
00:41 And other government approvals won't need to wait for the EPA's green light to get underway.
00:47 They will strike a better balance between the environmental, the social and the economic
00:51 benefits of projects for Western Australia.
00:53 While the reforms have been broadly welcomed by the business community, environmental groups
00:58 say they weren't consulted.
01:00 Certainly the way it was framed is concerning, something about what the Premier was saying.
01:05 The Environment Minister will issue the EPA with a statement of intent, outlining the
01:11 government's priorities for the authority.
01:14 The EPA is about providing independent evidence but it's not independent of government.
01:18 It has to appreciate the priorities and the issues that the government wants to confront
01:25 and needs to confront.
01:27 It seems to be in tension with parts of the Act that say, for instance, the Minister shall
01:32 not direct the Chairman or the Board.
01:35 The former Chair has previously revealed he felt pressured by Mark McGowan over emissions
01:40 policy during a phone call in 2019, a type of interaction he fears could be normalised.
01:48 That's the implication of the proposal as I read it today.
01:51 Now again, how that's actually implemented and drafted for legislation remains to be
01:56 seen.
01:57 The government hopes to introduce its legislation early next year.
02:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]