23 May 2024
Topics: unlocking WA’s resource sector, environmental approval times, defunding the Environmental Defenders Office, critical minerals tax credits, WA cultural heritage laws
EO&E
Oliver Peterson:
The Liberal leader, Peter Dutton, today delivered a speech at the Australian Energy Producers Conference outlining his alternative vision for unlocking WA’s resource sector. He’s pledged two things today. One, to halve the environmental approval time frames, and two, he wants to defund the Environmental Defenders Office. To tell you more the Shadow Environment Minister, Senator Jonno Duniam. Good afternoon.
Senator Duniam:
Hey Oly, thanks for having me.
Oliver Peterson:
If you win the election, you’re going to rip up the Environmental Defenders Office. You’re going to get rid of it.
Senator Duniam:
We’re not going to fund it. I mean, these community legal centres and organisations like the EDO are funded by donations. Taxpayers should not be footing the bill. This is the group who the federal court themselves, in judgement that could be only described as incredibly humiliating to the Environmental Defenders Office, slammed their work for fabricating evidence, for coaching witnesses, all with the aim of stopping a project that needed to go ahead. And that was the Barossa gas project that your listeners I’m sure will be well familiar with. So no, we will not be spending two and a half million dollars of that finite resource, taxpayers’ money, on the EDO each year. The Labor Government does. And I think it is a real shame that they think that’s a good use of money when all it does is halt economic activity and destroy jobs. It’s a bad use of that very limited resource.
Oliver Peterson:
And will this speed up the process, along with the pledge that your Leader’s making today to halve the environmental approval timelines to get these resource projects moving.
Senator Duniam:
Well, yeah. Green lawfare is a big part of the problem when it comes to environmental approvals. We’ve got groups like the Environmental Defenders Office or the Bob Brown Foundation, or any number of environmental organisations which engage in, what can only be called green lawfare – where they find technicalities at law to try and challenge a project from being able to be permitted. It will take years and costs millions and millions and millions of dollars for these organisations to try and get these projects up. Again, projects that create hundreds if not thousands of jobs across the country. So, defunding the EDO will help speed things up. We won’t be locked in court battles for years. But slashing approval times. I mean the bureaucracy attached to approving these major projects is too much. These organisations, mining companies, forestry fishing companies, you name it, property developers, they know what they’re doing. There are experts out there that assist them in the work that they do. All of these applications go into a black box in Canberra and no one knows what happens or why on earth it takes so long. Three years on average for an environmental approval for most projects and that is way too long, we need to halve that. And as Peter Dutton has said, we’ll work with industry to make sure that does happen. Because again, when people want job certainty, they want economic growth. This is a key thing government can do to bring that about.
Oliver Peterson:
And obviously the government of the day wants the future critical minerals processing industry to succeed. So, there’s a tax credit scheme on offer, but your party doesn’t agree to it. Why is that, Senator?
Senator Duniam:
Look, there are other ways to be more even handed around exactly how we ensure we support projects and particular industries that generate economic activity and, of course, provide us the resources we need to be able to do the things we need to do here in Australia. And so not picking winners is something we are very much about and finding a way to even handedly across sectors ensure that we can continue the growth of all sectors, all resources sectors and other primary industries and extractive industries as well. Because all of them, I think, are worthy of treatment that would incentivise economic activity, but we we’re not about picking winners.
Oliver Peterson:
Alright, you’re on a collision course with the state Labor premier Roger Cook. Today, describing the decision to oppose the tax credit scheme as being anti-WA, anti-WA mining, and anti-WA jobs.
Senator Duniam:
Well, this is a government that, sadly, I don’t think has WA’s interests at heart. And, you know, this is the same government that made it very difficult for farmers to dig a post hole without having to consult with local traditional owners. We all saw the WA cultural heritage laws and that’s just one example of the things that Roger Cook gets wrong, along with the rest of his team. So, look, he can cast the bat about and try and tell the world that the Coalition is anti-WA, but at the end of the day I think your listeners will know that we are very much pro-WA. We’re pro the mining industry, defunding the EDO – I thought Roger Cook would be in support of. It’s something he should be echoing support for to ensure Albo stops funding this ridiculous organisation. He’s entitled to his opinion, but on this one we happen to disagree.
Oliver Peterson:
Senator Duniam, I appreciate your time this afternoon. Thank you.
Senator Duniam:
Thanks, Oly. Take care.