Queensland’s environmental framework has been strengthened by the passing of the Environmental Protection and Other Legislation Amendment (EPOLA).
The new legislation will mean that public notification must occur for any major amendments to environmental authorities for resource-sector projects to ensure that local communities are kept informed and are able to have their say.
During consultation in the bill’s drafting stage, it was found that some environmental impact statements (EIS) being used on projects were upwards of 10 years old, meaning that most contained outdated information.
Under the legislation, regulators will now have the power to end an EIS process if the proposal is clearly unacceptable and would be unlikely to gain approvals.
It will also introduce an ‘early no’ step in the EIS process so that community and project proponents know ahead of time that a project will no receive approvals, thus saving time and money.
The EPOLA Act will also modernise the framework so that EISs remain current for three years before extension requests are required.
“Community expectations, technology and industry are evolving – and it’s vital that our laws remain modern and reflect the changes we’re seeing,” Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said.
“This is about making sure that we have certainty for landowners and industry, while also making sure that we continue to protect our environment and that independent regulator can be effective in its role.”
It is hoped that the EPOLA Act will give communities and industries greater certainty that environmental standards are being upheld by ensuring that recognition is given if an offence occurs.
“It’s also important that executive officers who do the wrong thing can be held accountable for their acts or omissions, and these changes reflect the original intent and will prevent directors avoiding potential liability by resigning from their role,” Scanlon said.
“We’ve listened to what stakeholders have told us, and we’ll also see support through short-term environmental authorities for non-resource activities to trial innovations as well as measures to assist Queensland industry and individuals to meet their environmental requirements in an emergency situation.”