Federal opposition proposes time limit on challenging environmental approvals

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A federal Liberal senator has proposed laws that would limit how long groups have to challenge a project's environmental licence. He says it will avoid situations like in Macquarie harbour, where the federal environment minister is considering whether to review its approval of salmon farming 11 years after it was granted.

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00:00For more than a year, the future of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour has been up in

00:06the air, with the Federal Environment Minister still considering whether to review its environmental

00:12approval.

00:14Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck has released a plan to stop other industries from facing

00:19similar battles.

00:20It gives some certainty and some surety to industry, who are the ones after all who are

00:26investing their money.

00:28Mostly people can apply for a project's approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity

00:33Conservation Act to be reconsidered, with no time limit.

00:37But the legislation would mean groups have just three years to lodge a request.

00:42After the three-year mark, only a state government minister could apply.

00:46But you don't have a situation where you can have a complex, expensive, time-consuming

00:52process initiated through activists effectively gaming a loophole in the laws.

00:58Any attempt to gut environment laws and fast-track processes, which they've always tried to do,

01:05is a retrograde and dangerous move for our environment and for our communities.

01:09The Bob Brown Foundation was one of three groups that asked for Macquarie Harbour salmon

01:14farming to be reviewed in the wake of mass Morgian skate deaths, 11 years after it was

01:20approved.

01:21It should remain under law that a project can be assessed and be found to be causing

01:26environmental damage anywhere in the lifetime of the project.

01:30The timing of the Liberal Senator's bill is intriguing.

01:33A federal election is set to be called before it can be debated.

01:37It's widely speculated to be an attempt to wedge the Labor Party and try and win votes

01:42in Braddon and other regional seats around the country.

01:46This is not about wedge politics.

01:48If Labor are genuine in what they say, they'll support the bill this week and the issue will

01:52go away.

01:53On Tasmania's west coast, the uncertainty continues, with no time frame on when Environment

01:59Minister Tanya Plibersek will make her decision.

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