Reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act that aim to streamline regulatory legislation for both housing and commercial property projects have been welcomed by The Property Council of Australia as “sensible and long overdue.”
“There has never been a more critical time to ensure that our regulatory regime is free of unnecessary process and strikes the right balance between environmental protection and sustainability and enabling economic growth and job creation,” Ken Morrison, Chief Executive of the Property Council of Australia, said.
“It has never made sense for two levels of government to have overlapping responsibilities for the assessment of environmental protection issues.
“This announcement would mean a one-touch assessment pathway for housing and commercial property projects, a sensible and long overdue reform.
“Our industry is a world-leader in promoting sustainable development while also meeting the needs of a modern and diverse economy and growing population.
“The property industry has been the largest user of the assessment and approvals process under the EPBC, making up 27 per cent of all referrals in the 2018-19 financial year.
“We need to keep evolving the EPBC Act towards legislative best-practice in a way which meets the expectations of the community around environmental protection, as well as removing unnecessary, inefficient and costly duplication and bureaucratic process.”
