Labor has offered a handful of concessions to both the Greens and Coalition as it urges the parties to 'get it done'.
The 1,500 pages of reforms are currently before a Senate inquiry, however, the government is dialling up the pressure to meet its self-imposed Christmas deadline. The committee has heard from industry, business and environmental groups.
Concerns vary, from streamlining approvals, weakening environmental protections, ministerial discretion undermining the reforms, to reporting requirements that could delay projects. With only two days left of the parliamentary year, Environment Minister Murray Watt is urging the parties to "get this done". "The act of parliament you're talking about is 25 years old, it is hopelessly out of date and broken, it's gotta be fixed now," he told Afternoon Agenda on Tuesday. "We can keep talking about this for years or we can actually work together to pass these reforms this week." SBS News has obtained a copy of the concessions sent to the Greens and Coalition ahead of their party room meetings on Tuesday morning. Here's a breakdown of what's on offer. The Greens have been calling for a ban on native logging, with Labor instead assuring the party on Sunday that the native forestry industry would need to comply with the proposed new national environmental standards within three years. Building on the momentum, Labor has attempted to address concerns around the expansion of coal and gas by excluding them from the national interest exemption. It will also limit the fast-tracking of fossil fuel projects as well as restrict them from new streamlined assessment pathways. If a deal is struck with the Greens, the government will not go ahead with plans to hand over a water trigger or assessments for projects based on surface and groundwater impacts to the states. The government will review the bilateral agreements with states, giving them assessing powers or approvals in some instances. Either way, the minister will retain ultimate decision-making powers, even if a bilateral agreement is in place. Last month, Watt ruled out the Greens' demands for a climate trigger, which would see projects rejected if they worsen carbon emissions or impact climate change. The government attempted to alleviate concerns that penalties for breaches are too high -- up to $1.6 million for individuals or $825 million for businesses -- by stating they would only apply in "most serious and egregious breaches". Controversial "stop work" orders that half projects will only be in place for a maximum of 14 days. The minister will have the power to set KPIs as well as sack the independent environmental protection agency CEO, addressing concerns that the EPA boss would have too much power. Of the seven demands tabled by the Coalition last week, two key items are missing. The amendments do not provide workable definitions of the unacceptable impact test for high-polluting projects that result in its refusal, or what constitutes a net gain or parameters for demonstrating how the project minimises harm or improves the environment. The definitions, along with no attempt to address scope 1 and 2 emission reporting requirements, are expected not to fly with relevant industry stakeholders. download our app subscribe to our newsletter
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