Labor will deliver a fresh start and hope for the future by working with traditional industries to streamline approvals for new major projects.
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) has been gamed by the Bob Brown Foundation and other activist groups to obstruct and stop developments at any cost. A Winter Labor Government will seek to work with the Australian Government to streamline approvals and to support industries and jobs.
Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) demonstrate how coordination can occur between State and Federal environment law to ensure processes are rigorous but streamlined. It’s a model that a Tasmanian Labor Government would seek to expand across other areas – starting with renewable energy.
The RFA model provides a process where compliance with State and Federal environment laws can be assessed through a streamlined single regulatory framework. It does not mean laws are bypassed – it means the assessment of environmental laws are not duplicated.
There are more than 80 major renewable projects currently being built or shovel ready across Australia, yet we have not had a project come out of the ground here since 2020. One of the key reasons for that is the uncertainty created by the multiple layers of bureaucracy.
The TCCI has called it an energy crisis – and they are right.
Robbins Island windfarm has been trying to invest more than $3 billion in Tasmania for eight years as it battled local, state and now federal regulations. It is still not approved.
Across industry we are seeing investors frustrated with long, drawn out and duplicated environmental assessment processes at the state and federal level. In fact, some have just given up and left.
Tasmanian Labor would also seek to optimise offset provisions of the EPBC Act to better reflect Tasmania’s long-standing commitment to conservation. The fact that over half of our land mass is already in formal reserve is making it difficult for proponents to provide environmental offsets.
Dean Winter MP
Labor Leader
