Australia’s reworked environmental approval laws will not include a “climate trigger”, Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has confirmed.
Speaking in the Senate on October 7, the Minister said he was “happy to rule out” a climate trigger from the Government’s ‘Nature Positive’ laws given emissions from large industrial facilities were already regulated under the safeguard mechanism.
The safeguard mechanism, which was strengthened in 2023 to reduce emissions more effectively, had received CCIWA’s support at the time.
A win for industry, Morey says
CCIWA Chief Economist Aaron Morey said the decision to rule out a climate trigger was welcome news for industry.
“A climate trigger would have duplicated other policies and had significant ramifications for projects across Australia, making it incredibly difficult to get most large projects off the ground,” he said.
Morey said Minister Watt’s decision would “give certainty to project proponents, investors and industry more broadly”.
CCIWA has been calling for a common-sense approach to the Government’s Nature Positive reforms for more than two years, with the abandonment of the climate trigger being a key priority.
CCIWA’s Green Web report, released in October 2023, laid bare how the environmental approvals system was stifling project investment and economic development.
It found $318 billion worth of investment in WA alone was being held up by environmental approval delays.
“We look forward to further consultation with Minister Watt as he prepares to put the revised EPBC Act reforms to Parliament before the end of the year,” Morey said.
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