Labor’s environment plan straight from Liberals playbook according to Greens and Libs
The two major parties have both claimed credit for a scheme to streamline environmental approvals for industry, with the Greens lashing the plan. The latest from the campaign trail.
Tasmania
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The Greens say Labor’s plan to “tear up” environmental protections is straight from the Liberal’s handbook- and the Liberals have agreed.
Dean Winter said Labor planned to “deliver a fresh start and hope for the future by working with traditional industries to streamline approvals for new major projects”.
Mr Winter said industries such as mining and renewable energy should be assessed through a “streamlined single regulatory framework” like Regional Forest Agreements, where compliance with both state and federal laws are assessed in one process.
“It does not mean laws are bypassed – it means the assessment of environmental laws are not duplicated.”
He said multiple layers of bureaucracy were creating uncertainty for industries, particularly the renewable energy sector, which hasn’t gotten a new project off the ground in Tasmania since 2020 and cited the Robbins Island Wind farm as one project caught in the approvals process.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said Mr Winter was again “copying his homework” and said flexibility in the EPBC act was a core request from his government to the federal government in discussions over environmental laws.
“I stood alongside 11 industry stakeholders with 11 key asks of the federal government prior to the last federal election.
“One of those key asks and requests from the federal government was flexibility around the EPBC.
“This is nothing new, it’s our policy. Dean has copied it once again,” Mr Rockliff said.
Bass Greens MP Cecily Rosol was “concerned” by the plan which she said will exempt industry from proper environmental scrutiny.
“At this time when we have a climate crisis and biodiversity crisis, it is essential that projects are assessed for the environmental impact that they are going to have,” Greens member for Bass Cecily Rosol said.
“What we need to be doing is increasing environmental protections, not decreasing them.”
Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said the plan was “outrageous” and “like something Eric Abetz would have come up with”.
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