Red-tape reduction puts nation on $72bn shortcut to recovery

Infrastructure projects will be fast-tracked under a deal between federal, state and territory governments creating 66,000 jobs.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Almost $72bn in major infrastructure projects across the country will be fast-tracked under an agreement struck between the federal, state and territory governments that would slash ­approval times in half to create 66,000 jobs.

The new infrastructure deal comes ahead of the handing down of a review into the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which is expected to recommend cutting green tape to speed up project approvals.

Talks about the environmental act and the potential streamlining of state and federal approval processes are believed to have been already held by the national cabinet, led by Scott Morrison. In a major deregulation agenda to drive the second wave of economic reform, the Prime Minister will announce 15 national priority projects on Monday to be accelerated through state and federal planning and assessment laws, including metro rail, new dams, mines, electricity infrastructure and major roads.

In a speech to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, he will claim that under new reforms, red-tape approval times could be halved to an average of just 21 months, as he seeks to build the nation out of the COVID-19 recession.

But Mr Morrison will declare the same national approach to fighting the coronavirus crisis will have to be applied in the economic recovery.

“All levels of government, business and the community must rethink how these systems can better contribute to our recovery from the pandemic,” Mr Morrison will tell CEDA’s State of the ­Nation conference in Canberra.

“We need to bring the same common sense and co-operation we showed fighting COVID-19 to unlocking infrastructure investment in the recovery.

“These are immediate actions we are taking today, but working within existing systems will only take us so far.”

Under the infrastructure and deregulation plan, taskforces comprised of both federal and state regulators will be established for each of the 15 projects to work with the proponents to unshackle state and federal planning and ­environmental laws blamed for holding up construction.

Mr Morrison said the projects could begin several years ahead of schedule under a new arrangement with the states, which would abolish the multiple applications currently required across different jurisdictions. A deregulation taskforce set up by Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ben Morton found this was a key blockage to starting projects.

The 15 priority projects include the Inland Rail from Melbourne to Brisbane, the Marinus interconnector electricity link between Tasmania and Victoria, the Olympic Dam mine extension in South Australia, dams and emergency town water projects in NSW android, rail and iron ore projects in Western Australia.

“Joint assessment teams will work on accelerating these projects worth more than $72bn in public and private investment. Projects that will support over 66,000 ­direct and indirect jobs,” Mr Morrison will say in his speech.

“Under our new approach, this investment, and most importantly these jobs, will be brought to market earlier by targeting a 50 per cent reduction in commonwealth assessment and ­approval times for major projects, from an average of 3.5 years to 21 months.

“Many states have already cut approval times. And I’ve asked them all to lift their ambition ­further, and work with us through the national cabinet to make ­deregulation a focus of Australia’s economic recovery.”

The speech comes just weeks ahead of the handing down of a review into the environmental act, which is likely to recommend controversial changes to speed up assessment periods.

Business and industry have claimed the act is a major cause of investment and development ­delays. Green groups argue the laws have not been applied properly to protect threatened species.

Mr Morrison will also ­announce the bringing forward of another $1.5bn on local infrastructure projects to begin immediately.

The deregulation and infrastructure agenda is being billed by the government as the “next step” of the reform agenda and follows Mr Morrison’s headland speech last month in which he called for an industrial relations pact ­between the government, unions and workers to drive a jobs boom.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese will address the same forum on Monday morning claiming Labor has acted responsibly during the crisis but has a different vision for economic recovery, citing climate change and indigenous constitutional recognition as key policy priorities.

The Labor leader will also weigh into the “culture wars” that have erupted in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.

“I want to rebuild our capacity to have constructive national conversations about the big ­issues,” Mr Albanese will say. “It’s a capacity that has been corroded by culture wars — but it is not ­beyond repair.

“The starting point in strengthening the health of our democracy is inclusion. “We must be respectful, open and accountable.

“And we must create a First Nations voice to parliament, consistent with the historic Uluru Statement from the Heart. Without that voice, we will never be truly democratic.

“Of course, one of the biggest issues we need to be having a grown-up conversation about is climate change.”

Mr Albanese said he wanted Australia’s future built on “our potential as a clean energy superpower, which would deliver the trifecta of more jobs, lower emissions and lower energy prices.