Setting the standard the key to environmental reforms

Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley. Picture: AAP

The key to Sussan Ley’s reforms of environment laws will be the standards set by the federal government, but administered by the states.

A planned major shake-up of environmental laws will push responsibility for project approvals to the states in a bid to slash green tape and drive job creation.

Graeme Samuel, the author of an interim review released on Monday, will convene a meeting next week of interested parties to start working out just what will be included.

Given the states are responsible for administering the rules, it’s important the right standards are set.

Samuel’s desire to rid the country of unnecessary environmental duplication is laudable but getting there is not as easy as it sounds.

An alternative approach would be to set certain fields to be of federal responsibility, with the states picking up the rest. These could include, say, water, the Great Barrier Reef, indigenous sites and national parks.

Just which parts of the country would be come under federal control would a subject of some debate.

The Samuel model says the feds set the rules and the states apply them, subject to an independent arbiter who could simply be the head of the federal department of environment.

The idea is to keep clear of political influence.

But if, say, NSW kept breaching standards, federal authorities could move in and withdraw the NSW mandate, or if Queensland gave the green light for a uranium mine near the Barrier Reef, the feds could also intervene.

The point being the states are not entirely free of control.

There is also a need to keep better registers of species and areas of historical significance like the Juukan Gorge, blow up by Rio Tinto.

Ley’s desire to get the framework in place is welcome, but there is plenty of work left to do before the reform is workable.

Step one is clearly ensuring the federal standards are the right ones.

Next week’s meeting will include the big industry and environmental groups.