Global mining companies, particularly BHP and Rio Tinto, are lobbying the Albanese government for a revamp of environmental laws in Australia to facilitate the approval process for major mining projects. BHP's Australian boss, Geraldine Slattery, emphasized the importance of simplifying permitting processes to attract global clean energy investors and capitalize on the significant industrial shift towards sustainable energy sources.
The call for reform is met with resistance from some sectors of the resource industry, such as West Australian premier Roger Cook, who has been actively lobbying against the proposed changes. While both BHP and Rio Tinto support the need for a more efficient regulatory framework, they diverge from Labor's plan to establish an independent environmental protection agency (EPA) watchdog, advocating for a system that maintains ministerial oversight of decision-making processes.
The proposed reforms, initially prompted by a review led by Graeme Samuel in 2020, aim to address the declining state of the natural environment and the inefficiencies of the current Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. The mining companies stress the importance of modernizing Australia's permitting system to align with global competition standards and ensure faster approvals for resource sector projects. The opposition, led by Jonno Duniam, criticizes the government's approach, calling for a streamlined process with reduced bureaucracy to expedite project approvals under the EPBC Act.