JOINT MEDIA RELEASE WITH HON ALBERT JACOB MLA, WA MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
The Australian and Western Australian Governments have signed a new bilateral agreement to streamline environmental assessments as part of the One-Stop Shop reform.
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt said the signing of this agreement is an important milestone in achieving the Australian Government’s commitment to reducing the regulatory burden on business.
“It will create a single assessment process that satisfies both state and federal Government requirements,” said Minister Hunt.
“Duplication of the Commonwealth and Western Australia’s processes adds complexity and cost to environmental approvals across the country. We can cut red tape and streamline approvals, and importantly, we can do it without compromising high environmental standards”
“The introduction of the One-Stop Shop reform will save Australian businesses around $420 million nationally every year,” said Minister Hunt.
Western Australian Environment Minister Albert Jacob said the One-Stop Shop reform was aimed at delivering benefits for business and to Western Australia’s economy, while ensuring that the environment continued to be protected.
“This new assessment bilateral agreement will replace and expand the agreement currently in place. In addition to the public environmental review process, the new agreement will include assessments undertaken for vegetation clearing permits and assessment on proponent information,” Minister Jacob said.
“The agreement streamlines the administrative relationship between the Commonwealth and Western Australia and is designed to reduce red tape and duplication.”
Further information can be found at http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/environment-protection/environment-assessments/bilateral-agreements/wa