{"id":1146652,"date":"2019-10-30T07:15:05","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T13:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/?p=1005478"},"modified":"2019-10-30T07:15:05","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T13:15:05","slug":"australia-to-review-environmental-protection-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/?p=1146652","title":{"rendered":"Australia to review environmental protection act"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Australian government just launched an independent review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, a process whose outcome may impact the mineral resources sector.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class='d-flex justify-content-center'>\n<div id='div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0'><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0');});<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>According to the Ministry of Environment, the idea of the review is &#8220;to tackle green tape and deliver greater certainty to business groups, farmers and environmental organisations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>The idea of the review is to tackle green tape<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In a media statement, the government body acknowledged that the complexities of the Act are leading to unnecessary delays in reaching decisions and to an increased focus on process rather than outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Delays in EPBC decisions are estimated to cost the economy around $300 million a year and frustrate both business and environmental groups,&#8221; the media brief reads. &#8220;The Act has been a world benchmark in environmental protection but needs to be adapted to changes in the environment and economy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The review will be conducted over the course of the next year and will be led by Graeme Samuel, a Professorial Fellow at Monash University\u2019s Business School and School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine. Samuel will be supported by a panel of experts who will help him draft a report for the Minister of Environment within the next 12 months.<\/p>\n<p>In response to this announcement, Tania Constable, CEO of the Minerals Council of Australia, issued a communiqu\u00e9 deeming the review necessary.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Australia\u2019s world-leading minerals industry is committed to the protection of our unique environment,&#8221; Constable wrote. &#8220;Yet, regulatory complexity and duplication \u2013 including overlapping state and federal laws \u2013 delay minerals projects and reduce global competitiveness without improving environmental protection.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In the executive&#8217;s view, reforms that boost environmental protection in the country need to be sensible &#8220;to enhance business confidence and unlock minerals investment.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Minerals Council of Australia hopes the review deals with regulatory complexity and duplication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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