Minerals Council of Australia boss urges new environmental approval laws to be struck before Christmas

Australia’s biggest mining group has urged Federal Labor and the Opposition to strike a deal to overhaul environmental approvals before Christmas. An overhaul of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act was introduced to Parliament late last month, but the government will need Opposition or crossbench support in the Senate to pass the legislation. Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Tania Constable said changes to Labor’s bill to streamline approvals were needed to win support from big miners, according to a report in The Australian. The CME represents major resources companies such as BHP, Rio Tinto and Glencore. Ms Constable expects the legislation can be passed with industry support by the end of the year, urging the government to ink a deal with the Coalition rather than try and negotiate with the Greens. “There’s got to be a balance between protecting the environment, building public trust and actually getting projects up and running in Australia,” Ms Constable told The Australian. Ms Constable said industry climate goals were not negotiable. “We are bringing down emissions across the industry, and we are just staying on course to make sure that those emissions reductions are occurring,” she said. “The Minerals Council remains concerned about a national environmental protection agency and what role it would play in major project approvals.” WA Premier Roger Cook said progress on the reforms was “very encouraging” and that his concerns about projects being delayed or adversely impacted could be managed. “I think the time is now to strike the balance, and to get this legislation through,” he said on Wednesday.