‘Straight from the Gina Rinehart playbook’: Plibersek lashes Dutton’s mining project pledge

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has accused Peter Dutton of promising environmental laws “straight from the Gina Rinehart playbook” after the opposition leader told industry leaders he would fast-track project approvals if elected.

Plibersek’s remarks escalate a stoush over resources industry policy following Dutton’s claim that the government’s budget plan to offer $13 billion in tax credits for critical minerals and green hydrogen companies amounted to “billions of dollars for billionaires”.

Peter Dutton says a Coalition government would “turbocharge” mining and gas projects.Credit: Jacky Ghossein

Dutton told the Australian Energy Producers conference in Perth last week that excessive red and green tape – environmental regulations for new projects such as mines, processing plants and gas fields – had cost the resources sector billions of dollars by blocking project development.

A Coalition government would “turbocharge” mining, critical minerals and gas projects by capping project assessment timeframes, the opposition leader said.

“We will slash project approval timeframes in half without compromising on standards,” Dutton said.

The Productivity Commission found in 2020 that it took an average of three years for the federal government to assess a resources project under national environment laws, and speeding the process is one of the sector’s key demands.

Dutton also committed to defunding not-for-profit legal centre the Environmental Defenders Office and said he would “seek to limit the ability of third parties to challenge decisions under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act”.

Plibersek is on Wednesday set to introduce to parliament draft legislation to establish the first national Environment Protection Agency to handle development decisions and enforce regulations.

She said Dutton’s pledge appeared to have been designed by the resources sector and would exempt mining projects from proper environmental assessment.

“Peter Dutton’s plan to weaken national environment laws is straight from the Gina Rinehart playbook,” Plibersek said on Tuesday.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.Credit: James Brickwood/Alex Ellinghausen

“Big mining projects could effectively be exempt from national environment laws under the controversial new plan.”

Dutton and Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting have been contacted for comment.

The federal budget committed $23 billion to the government’s Future Made in Australia plan, including $7 billion in tax credits for processing and refining any of the 31 minerals on Australia’s critical list, as well as $7 billion for green hydrogen projects. Beneficiaries of the plan could include companies owned by Rinehart and Fortescue executive chairman Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest.

Dutton has pledged to repeal these tax credits, which he has criticised as handouts for billionaires.

“People like Clive Palmer and people like ‘Twiggy’ Forrest and others at the moment are great businesspeople, they know how to milk a pretty weak government, and I think that’s what they’re doing,” he said on May 15.

Dutton flew to Perth at his own expense on February 29 to attend Rinehart’s birthday party.

Plibersek promised in December 2022 to release draft laws for a “nature-positive plan” with comprehensive reforms to national environmental protections by the end of 2023.

After missing the deadline, Plibersek said in April that she would pursue the reform in stages, starting with the Environment Protection Agency.

However, there is no deadline for broader reforms including national standards that would rule out damage to critical habitats, and comprehensive changes to strengthen the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

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