Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

We saw in answer the primary question a number of coalition members asking what the rush is, so perhaps they might want to listen to this answer. A key focus of our reforms is removing the duplication in the federal and state approvals and assessments systems for projects, all while maintaining strong environmental standards. I spoke in the previous answer about the benefits for the environment in these reforms, and our laws will also enhance our ability to enter bilateral agreements with a new, streamlined assessment pathway and the greater use of regional planning to identify upfront go zones and no-go zones for development in a particular region. These reforms are designed to speed up the delivery of the homes, renewables and other economic projects that we desperately need. That's because, under the current laws that we're seeking to reform, we've seen project approval times blow out from a median timeframe of 48 weeks at the turn of the century to 118 weeks now. That's why we need to move on these reforms—to get the homes, renewables and other projects we need—and we need to do it this week.