WA’s new bill is about moving faster and decisively. But it doesn’t have to come at the cost of protections

As the minister leading the passage of the Cook government’s State Development Bill through the parliament, I write to refute some of the claims made by former WA premier Dr Carmen Lawrence about the bill, in her recent opinion piece on this site.

As Western Australia’s first and only female premier, Lawrence was a trailblazer and I have long respected her commitment to social and environmental issues.

As premier, Lawrence wasn’t afraid to put the state’s economic interests, and the jobs our economy creates, first and foremost in her decisions.

Either climate action is urgent, or it isn’t.

And as the state’s first minister for Climate Action and Energy and Decarbonisation, I believe it is.

This is what our government’s State Development Bill is about – ensuring we can progress projects critical to the clean energy transition and the fight against climate change, as well as other projects of strategic importance to the state, such as AUKUS.

In her opinion piece, Lawrence states that the new laws would enable the Minister for State Development (currently Premier Roger Cook) to exclude the operation of up to 40 specified acts of projects for priority projects. This is misleading.

It is true that the new laws include modification orders, but it does not remove the requirement for a project to obtain approvals under the Environmental Protection Act, or any other existing regulations or laws.

Yes, a modification order might modify the process for assessment, such as aligning timeframes and consultation processes – streamlining what is currently multiple processes. But the requirement to obtain that approval would remain.

The decision to use this power wouldn’t be the minister’s alone. Any modification order would be required to be tabled in parliament as a disallowable instrument, which means parliament could vote to disallow the measure.

Instead of undermining our democracy – which the Greens WA have recklessly claimed about this bill – this measure involves our parliament in our approvals process to a greater extent.

There is no easy path through the climate challenges facing our planet.

This bill is about moving faster and more decisively – and it doesn’t have to come at the expense of our existing protections for the environment and cultural heritage.

This shouldn’t be a controversial proposition – passing these proposed changes should be one of the easier decisions our parliament makes.

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