EDS - Government backs down on fast-track amendments

The Environmental Defence Society (EDS) is pleased to see that the Government is no longer pursuing several terrible proposed amendments to the Fast-track Approvals Act. It released an Amendment Paper to the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill yesterday which strikes through most of the bad ideas.

EDS Chief Operating Officer, Shay Schlaepfer says “We’re particularly pleased to see that independent decision-making Panels still have discretion to invite comment from appropriate parties. The Amendment Bill sought to arbitrarily constrain this, but the Government has backed away from that.”