Bid to slash red tape, green light development faster
Energy, housing and resources projects will be accelerated under the Albanian government’s bid to eliminate a “layer of bureaucracy” by speeding up approvals.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will on Wednesday announce more than $45 million over the next four years to advance bilateral environmental deals with states and territories to eliminate duplication of approvals.
The funding will be provided to encourage governments across the country to prioritize signing new evaluation and validation agreements with the Commonwealth.
State and territory leaders who sign a new agreement with the federal government will be allowed to consider proposals and give the green light on behalf of the Commonwealth.
In his speech at the Chamber of Mines and Energy (WA) in Perth on Wednesday, Mr Albanese will point to average approval times for projects under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which have ranged from 48 weeks 20 years ago to 118 weeks now.
The Prime Minister will say that the prolonged process causes investors to move away from the projects and communities to suffer losses.
“This will speed up new energy, housing and resources projects by combining federal and state approvals, effectively removing an entire layer of bureaucracy from the process,” he said.
“So instead of a two-step, two-track process with all the delays and doubling costs, this will be a one-step, clearer, faster, yes or no process.
“After so many years of idle time, if the states would step in and sign on, this could be a circuit breaker.”
Labour’s environmental protection reform passed parliament in November 2025.
The changes aim to increase efficiency in project evaluations and provide greater transparency in decision-making.
The Prime Minister will also say that building national resilience as a result of conflicts in the Middle East will be a key focus of the May budget, which will be distributed within two weeks.
“This will be our government’s most important and most ambitious budget to date,” he will say.
“The challenges facing our nation now require this ambition — and so do the opportunities before us.”
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