Senate must resolve one stop shop standoff

The peak body representing Australia’s development industry is urging Senators to reconsider a deal reportedly done to block the necessary legislation for the Federal Government’s environmental One Stop Shop policy in the Senate.

Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) National President, Cameron Shephard, said that the One Stop Shop would reduce costs for businesses, facilitate new housing supply, and create jobs without compromising existing stringent environmental standards. 

“Australia has a unique natural environment, and it’s critical that we take the necessary measures to protect it. No one is suggesting that we should reduce existing levels of environmental protection,” he said. 

“What the One Stop Shop will do is uphold our current high levels of protection, while reducing the unnecessary duplication, delays and regulatory burden that hurts business and costs jobs.
“Australia continues to suffer from a critical undersupply of housing, and we’ve seen that reflected again recently in rapidly escalating housing costs. The red tape created by the current environmental assessment and approvals system adds to those costs, and is exacerbating our existing housing supply problems.”

A report released by the Productivity Commission late last year also endorsed the One Stop Shop approach, and found that the existing environmental assessment and approval system created unnecessary duplication and regulatory complexity, lengthy delays, and reduced certainty.
As the Productivity Commission has emphasised, the One Stop Shop is a crucial reform aimed at minimising regulatory duplication and making approval processes more efficient, without compromising the quality of environmental outcomes.

The Commonwealth Department of the Environment has reported that Australia’s average time for project approvals is 37 months – an uncompetitive result by international standards. The Department has also shown that implementing the One Stop Shop for environmental approvals would provide economic benefits to Australian business in the order of $426 million every year.

The UDIA and several other industry associations have released a joint statement urging all senators to support the reform.
The One Stop Shop reforms represent a significant step towards cutting red tape and better aligning Commonwealth and state processes, said Mr Shephard.

“The One Stop Shop isn’t removing a layer of environmental protection, as many suggest, it’s removing a layer of costly red tape,” he said.
“Implementing the One Stop Shop is in Australia’s best interest, and the Senate needs to recognise that by passing the necessary legislative reforms.” 

FURTHER INFORMATION:  Please contact UDIA (SA) Executive Director Terry Walsh on 0408 704 790