Editorial: Anthony Albanese shows sense in heeding WA’s warnings

It took the combined might of WA’s biggest industry groups and its Government to head off what threatened to be an economic catastrophe for the entire country.

Thankfully, when Premier Roger Cook called to relay his State’s significant concerns about the Federal Government’s proposed environmental protection agency, the Prime Minister listened, and acted.

Within hours of receiving Mr Cook’s call, Anthony Albanese had killed off a deal brokered by his Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek which would have seen the legislation ushered through the Senate with the support of the Greens and independent David Pocock.

That means that the laws to establish the EPA will not be debated in Parliament’s final sitting week of the year, hopefully giving industry a reprieve until after the 2025 election.

It’s a win for common sense, for WA and for the economy.

As an urgent letter from Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA boss Chris Rodwell and Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA chief executive Rebecca Tomkinson warned the Prime Minister on Tuesday, even without the inclusion of a so-called climate trigger, the creation of a Federal EPA could wreak significant economic damage at a time the nation is in desperate need of a boost.

Mr Rodwell and Ms Tomkinson warned the new agency threatened mining projects, housing developments and new transmission infrastructure essential to the green energy shift. “As such, if the Bill passes it will exacerbate the current cost-of-living crisis,” they said.

And it would do so without improving environmental outcomes, as it would serve only to duplicate approvals processes which already exist at State level.

All a Federal EPA would accomplish is to further blow out approval times by adding yet more layers of bureaucracy onto new developments which are already overburdened by green tape.

It would provide a new avenue for green activists intent on tying projects up in legal limbo, leading to a slow down in productivity.

That the Prime Minister has seen sense is to be applauded.

But the danger hasn’t passed yet.

As Ms Plibersek noted, the Bill remains open to a vote. And with Parliament due to resume in February, there’s still a chance that it could be rammed through in the dying days of this Parliament.

Passing the Bill in its current form would be a monumental error by the Labor Government.

Not only would it wreak damage on the economy, but it would ignite a war with WA, weeks before an election in which the State’s support will be vital should Labor have any hope of winning majority government.

If that’s the case, the reaction from WA will be far greater than a polite phone call and an urgent letter.