A new Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill slams the door shut on communities, says Forest & Bird.
The Government has introduced the new Bill to Parliament proposing a number of significant changes to the Fast-track Approvals Act, including further limiting public consultation.
“The original fast-track legislation was bad enough. It weakened environmental protections and limited communities’ right to have their say. It led to nationwide protests. These proposed amendments go even further,” says Richard Capie, General Manager Advocacy and Policy.
Some of the worst aspects of the proposed amendments:
- Allow the vetting of panel members
- Further limit public consultation
- Make it harder to appeal decisions
“The ability for communities to be heard is further reduced, which ultimately means these decisions will not be based on all relevant information. The changes also shut down the right to appeal if a Panel makes an error of law,” says Mr Capie.
“They also open the door for applicants to have input into who is appointed to the Panel that decides their application. Taken together, these changes would make what is already a bad law much worse.
“There is no justification for these changes: Panels have been approving projects under the Fast-track within the specified timeframe, and there have been no appeals.
“Forest & Bird has always been clear that we need a robust, enduring consenting system that can deliver decisions on complex or critical developments. But rather than fix the existing legislation to help with this, amendments proposed in this bill would make things worse.
“You don’t make better decisions by limiting the information you can get hold of and the expertise you have in place to consider it.”
Forest & Bird is calling for the Bill to address gaps in environmental protections and local community participation.
Notes:
- Clause 33 amends section 53 and will limit Panel’s ability to invite comments from “any other person the Panel considers appropriate”.
- Clause 50 amends section 99, which enables certain persons and groups to appeal on a question of law to the High Court against a decision of a Panel to grant or decline to grant an approval.
Clause 56 amends Schedule 3, which relates to Panel set up under the Act, and allows applicants and local authorities to receive a notification and to raise issues concerning prospective panel members with the panel convener.