Red tape ‘Repeal Day’
IN THE LOBBY: On the eve of the APPEA conference in Perth next week The Minerals Council of Australia and The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association released a joint statement on the Federal Government’s Red tape ‘Repeal Day’.
The groups banded together as Australia’s resources sector to welcome the Federal Government’s efforts to curb what they identified as the high costs and inefficiencies associated with project development in Australia.
The MCA and APPEA said they and hoped the ‘Repeal Day’ legislation marks the start of a concerted effort to boost the sector’s global competitiveness.
“Already the Government has committed to delivering a ‘one stop shop’ for environmental approvals to improve Australia’s investment climate,” the announcement said.
“This will simplify the approvals process for businesses and investors while maintaining high environmental standards.”
The two groups declared they considered the measures already announced by the Government to date to be a solid start, saying they are sorely needed if the resource sector is to secure further investment amid growing global competition.
The industry, they claimed, has long argued that duplicative requirements both within and between jurisdictions can be streamlined while maintaining the highest of environmental standards.
MCA and APPEA said the Repeal Day marks the start of an ongoing reform process and the industry looks forward to further repeal initiatives.
To support their case they cited the red tape associated with the ‘water trigger’, which was introduced into the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) prior to the last federal election – a piece of legislation they claim addresses a political objective rather than an environmental one.
“The law was developed without any regulatory impact statement,” the announcement said.
“It covers only the activities of resources companies while ignoring the vast majority of water users.
“It duplicates existing state laws, requires new resource sector project proponents to pass both federal and state environmental assessments, while adding unnecessary layers to approvals processes that can increase project costs by millions of dollars.”
The joint statement singled out Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Josh Frydenberg, giving him a big pat on the back for his work to date on the Repeal Day legislation.
“We will be encouraging the Government to revisit legislative amendments like the ‘water trigger’, as recommended by the Productivity Commission, to remove roadblocks to further investment in resource projects,” the statement said.
“Industry supports strong environmental standards and a world-class safety regime; two goals that can be achieved without onerous conditions that threaten performance and competitiveness.”