Western Australia Allocates AU$14 Million to Improving Environmental Approval Process

Western Australia's governmentsaid on Monday (November 11) that it is allotting AU$14 million to support the employment of additional staff at the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Office of the Appeals.

The boost comes in response to the Vogel-McFerran Review commissioned by the government in 2023. It recommended various steps to speed up the state's environmental approval system and secure major projects.

According to the government, employing additional staff will help address existing backlogs and provide faster decisions “without impacting the high standard for protecting WA's unique environment.”

"We've overhauled WA's environmental approvals system to fast-track approvals while maintaining the highest environmental standards in the world,” said Premier Roger Cook. "This resourcing boost will help our approvals agencies to clear the backlog of approvals and deliver faster outcomes for project proponents across the state."

The investment also follows recently legislated amendments to the Environmental Protection Act, including the allowance of government regulators to process and issue parallel approvals while EPA assessments are underway.

Aside from that, it grants Western Australia's environment minister the power to supply the EPA with a statement of expectation, and allows an overall membership expansion of the EPA’s board.

The government said the investment means investors will receive greater certainty and quicker decisions.

As part of its commitment to improving the resource industry, 22 out of 34 of the Vogel-McFerran Review’s recommendations have recently been fully or partly actioned by the Western Australian government.

Recently, 50 companies received grants worth AU$7.28 million under Round 30 of Western Australia's Exploration Initiative Scheme. The funds are for the drilling of projects between December 2024 and November 2025.

“We're delivering on our clean energy plan, securing major, job-creating projects to position WA as a global renewable energy powerhouse," Cook added in this week's press release.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.