❓ The Premier outlines measures to streamline environmental assessment and approval processes to stimulate the WA economy post-COVID-19, including Environment Online and investment in biodiversity data.
AnsweredQoN 270Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ENVIRONMENT —
ASSESSMENT AND APPROVAL PROCESSES
270. Ms S.E. WINTON to the Premier:
I refer to the economic impact of
COVID-19 and the uncertainty it has created for business and industry. Can the
Premier outline to the house how the measures being introduced by the McGowan
government to streamline environmental
assessment and approval processes will provide confidence to business and
industry and help stimulate the WA economy?
ASSESSMENT AND APPROVAL PROCESSES
270. Ms S.E. WINTON to the Premier:
I refer to the economic impact of
COVID-19 and the uncertainty it has created for business and industry. Can the
Premier outline to the house how the measures being introduced by the McGowan
government to streamline environmental
assessment and approval processes will provide confidence to business and
industry and help stimulate the WA economy?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for Wanneroo for the question and appreciate her interest in
matters economic. There has never been a more important time to provide
confidence and certainty to business and industry than now as we recover from
COVID-19. We are supporting investment and making it easier for major projects
to get underway, and at the same time we are ensuring that proper and rigorous
environmental processes and safeguards are in place. With that in mind, we are
now introducing measures to simplify and streamline the process for
environmental assessment and approvals, which will slash the time for major
projects and reduce costs for industry. This could assist in more than $100 billion
worth of major projects in the development pipeline getting underway in a sooner
time frame. We are establishing Environment Online, a digital one-stop shop for
environmental assessments, approvals and compliance, improving transparency in environmental approval processes
and consistency of approvals, making it easier for industry to navigate joint state and commonwealth environmental
approval processes. We expect it will reduce time frames for major projects by
up to 12 months. That means more jobs created sooner. This is a $28 million
project funded by the state and commonwealth governments. It builds on the
additional staff we put into the Environmental Protection Authority to deal
with major projects last year. We put an additional 14 staff into the EPA to
assist with approval processes.
We are also investing $7.7 million,
on top of the $28 million, in the biodiversity information office, a cost-effective
system to capture, store, analyse and publish biodiversity data throughout WA.
If one analysis is put in place that secures
data in relation to a certain area, that will be accessible by other proponents
in the future. It means a reduction in duplication and a simplification
of access to information by proponents across the state. It will result in
better and more consistent decision-making processes. These are two important
initiatives that will assist us to come out of COVID-19 with a stronger, more
resilient economy, and a protected environment. Their implementation has been
called for for years and we are going to be implementing these two measures
with a significant injection of funds. As I said, it will protect the
environment and provide greater certainty for industry. It will ensure that
major projects get underway in an environmentally responsible matter and also
ensure more jobs for Western Australians.
thank the member for Wanneroo for the question and appreciate her interest in
matters economic. There has never been a more important time to provide
confidence and certainty to business and industry than now as we recover from
COVID-19. We are supporting investment and making it easier for major projects
to get underway, and at the same time we are ensuring that proper and rigorous
environmental processes and safeguards are in place. With that in mind, we are
now introducing measures to simplify and streamline the process for
environmental assessment and approvals, which will slash the time for major
projects and reduce costs for industry. This could assist in more than $100 billion
worth of major projects in the development pipeline getting underway in a sooner
time frame. We are establishing Environment Online, a digital one-stop shop for
environmental assessments, approvals and compliance, improving transparency in environmental approval processes
and consistency of approvals, making it easier for industry to navigate joint state and commonwealth environmental
approval processes. We expect it will reduce time frames for major projects by
up to 12 months. That means more jobs created sooner. This is a $28 million
project funded by the state and commonwealth governments. It builds on the
additional staff we put into the Environmental Protection Authority to deal
with major projects last year. We put an additional 14 staff into the EPA to
assist with approval processes.
We are also investing $7.7 million,
on top of the $28 million, in the biodiversity information office, a cost-effective
system to capture, store, analyse and publish biodiversity data throughout WA.
If one analysis is put in place that secures
data in relation to a certain area, that will be accessible by other proponents
in the future. It means a reduction in duplication and a simplification
of access to information by proponents across the state. It will result in
better and more consistent decision-making processes. These are two important
initiatives that will assist us to come out of COVID-19 with a stronger, more
resilient economy, and a protected environment. Their implementation has been
called for for years and we are going to be implementing these two measures
with a significant injection of funds. As I said, it will protect the
environment and provide greater certainty for industry. It will ensure that
major projects get underway in an environmentally responsible matter and also
ensure more jobs for Western Australians.
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