The state’s leading environmental organisation has warned that the NSW Labor government’s proposed changes to NSW environmental protection laws open the way for reckless coal and gas approvals.
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC) said in a statement, ‘These extreme changes to our environmental protection laws [The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979] would strip away environmental scrutiny, making it easier for damaging developments to slip through,’ said Jacqui Mumford, NCC Chief Executive Officer.
‘This is a code red for environmental protection in NSW. If passed as is, the reforms on the table would have devastating consequences’.
‘We understand the Labor Minns government wants to approve more housing, but these changes will undermine expert input and open up corruption risks for all development, from coal mines to waste incinerators.’
Among the planning bill’s amendments are a suite of changes that weaken environmental protections – and they apply to all kinds of developments.
Additionally, there are no constraints on what type of development can be declared “targeted assessment development” and given a quicker pathway.
‘The government’s new “targeted assessment” category strips out key safeguards – developments could proceed without assessing environmental impacts, site suitability, or the public interest,’ said Ms Mumford.
‘These proposed accelerated assessment pathways also heighten risks of corruption by centralising decision-making and stripping power away from local councils and specialised agencies.
‘These laws are a gift to big polluters and a Trojan horse carrying destruction for the environment.
‘The changes would make it easier for all kinds of infrastructure and development to evade proper assessment.
‘These new laws could see recent development proposals like Centennial Coal’s attempts at dumping toxic mine water into Sydney’s drinking water supply, waved through with little oversight.
‘Under these laws, the harmful Redbank biomass power station would have been passed. The decision maker would have been forbidden from considering the impacts of clearing native vegetation because “development” is broadly defined.
‘The consequences of this legislation will be far-reaching and hasten a new wave of environmental destruction as we face concurring climate and biodiversity crises,’ Ms Mumford added.
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