Shane Jones hopes fast-track regime can be the 'most permissive' in developed world

Thursday, 14 November 2024

Resources Minister Shane Jones says he hopes the fast-track approvals regime can be the “most permissive” in Australasia and the 38-state OECD club of developed nations.

The Fast-track Approvals Bill passed its second reading in Parliament on Wednesday evening.

Jones said it was a “day of light” as the law change would remove what he described as the “obstructiveness that has impeded the development of our economy”.

The Government has selected 149 projects for possible fast-track approval.

Many are roading, housing and energy projects, but they also include an ironsands seabed mining scheme off the coast of Taranaki that has previously failed to secure consents through existing channels, and a slew of coal and gold mining schemes.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop will have the power to add additional projects to the list down the track and to appoint conveners to head expert panels that will decide whether projects get consents.

A spokesperson for Bishop said the Government expected developers that had projects selected for fast-track approval would be able to apply for them to be considered by expert panels early next year.

“The timing of any listed project’s consideration by an expert panel will depend on when the applicant lodges their substantive application to the Environmental Protection Authority.

“The projects will be able to do this from early 2025.”

Jones acknowledged the Government had made some concessions along the way.

“I wanted to be in charge of issuing the consents and that was ruled out,” he told The Post.

Jones said the regime had been modelled on a fast-track regime designed by Labour.

“We've just taken all of the excessive ‘woke’ elements out of it,” he said.

Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking rejected that, describing the overriding of environmental laws that the legislation allows as “disgraceful”.

“It allows coal mining in kiwi habitats,” she said.

Green Party environment spokesperson Lan Pham said an amendment adopted on the recommendation of a select committee that the Minister of Environment would be consulted on referrals gave little confidence.

That minister is Penny Simmonds.

“We have a Minister for the Environment who says that the balance has swung too far toward the environment at the cost of getting things done despite the overwhelming weight of evidence within her own ministry to the contrary,” Pham said.

If the bill did proceed it should be restricted to only enabling the faster approval of public infrastructure projects, rather than private investments, she said.