Clean energy, environment unity ticket on nature laws

Perth Now

5 days ago

Environment groups and the clean energy industry have found common ground on long-awaited nature law reforms, joining forces to urge the federal government to hurry up and finish the job.
The unprecedented alliance between the Clean Energy Council, Australian Conservation Foundation, Australian Marine Conservation Society and others is bound by the shared belief that existing environmental protections are failing both biodiversity and the energy transition.
"We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to re-shape the law to tackle Australia's climate and nature crises," Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said.
The federal laws designed to kick in when renewable energy, mines and development threaten vulnerable species and other "matters of national environmental significance" are widely considered ineffective and in need of overhaul.
The federal government has promised reform but failed to complete the task in its first three-year term.
In the meantime, existing regulations have failed to stop projects destroying critical habitat at the same time as cumbersome environmental assessments have delayed the clean energy rollout.
Clean Energy Investor Group chief executive Richie Merzian said the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act was the number one concern for renewable energy investors and developers.
Projects were taking nearly twice as long to secure approval and the assessment backlog was growing, Mr Merzian told AAP.
"We want to see faster yeses and faster nos," he said.
The alliance, which also includes the Electrical Trades Union, Re-Alliance, WWF Australia and Biodiversity Council, agree on key pieces of environmental reform including legally-enforceable standards to prevent subjective ministerial decision-making.
Setting up an independent "cop on the beat" Environmental Protection Agency was also backed by the coalition, as well as more resources for departments to keep projects moving through the process.
Better planning should further help solar and wind developers identify "regions we should and shouldn't be working in".
Mr Merzian said the "nature versus climate" narrative was false.
"We can and should be doing both," he said.
Electrical Trades Union national secretary Michael Wright said delayed environmental assessments were making it hard to train workers for future jobs.
"The uncertainty of the assessment process means there is no reliable pipeline of work for communities or to train apprentices on anywhere close to the scale we need," he said.
New environment minister Murray Watt has already indicated that legislating a federal environment watchdog will be one of the top priorities for the returned government.
It's not been the only pressing matter competing for his attention, with the minister opting to greenlight Woodside's proposal to extend its North West Shelf project in Western Australia after years of delays.
The expansion has been granted commonwealth go-ahead despite concerns about its emissions burden and impact on sacred rock art.