The Biodiversity Council welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Productivity Commission’s inquiry Investing in cheaper, cleaner energy and the net zero transformation.

The inquiry report states that environmental and other regulatory approvals for infrastructure projects are slowing down the energy transition. The report states that the law be changed to treat projects that support Australia’s clean energy transition differently from other projects, so that they can be assessed more quickly. Faster approvals are considered to support productivity growth by reducing emissions, reducing costs for developers, attracting investment and making energy cheaper.

The Biodiversity Council broadly supports some of the recommendations of the report. We also have concerns about some aspects of the inquiry’s recommendations, including:

1. Fundamental problems with centralised funds for offsets must be resolved or they should not be used.

2. Regional plans must be legally binding and designed to deliver outcomes for biodiversity as well as streamlining approvals.

3. Renewable energy approvals should not be treated differently to other approvals under the EPBC Act.

Please download the submission for our full analysis, policy position, and recommendations.