The Minerals Council of Australia has called for a bipartisan approach to finalising the federal government’s proposed Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025.
A bipartisan approach will create the balance required to modernise the EPBC approval process and let reforms stand on their own merits, according to Tania Constable, CEO of the MCA.
The MCA has been working with various parties on amendments that would deliver “better outcomes for the environment, communities and the economy”.
“A reform package that achieves the right balance – protecting the environment, building public confidence and enabling timely development of Australia’s resource projects – would back in Australia’s world-leading minerals sector and be a lasting win for Australia,” Constable said.
The MCA had argued for modernising the EPBC approval process to allow the mining industry to deliver jobs and investment faster.
Reforms to the bill should include removing duplication and allowing states and territories to assess and approve projects.
Constable said these changes would ensure the Bill was “workable, balanced and effective”, adding that addressing these issues would “deliver significant net gain for environmental outcomes, productivity and the government’s economic and decarbonisation priorities”.
