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$vuetify.icons.faPhone1300 650 620

HIA welcomes $45 million Budget commitment to drive EPBC reforms

Media release

HIA welcomes $45 million Budget commitment to drive EPBC reforms

Media release
“The Housing Industry Association (HIA) welcomes today’s commitment by the Federal Government of more than $45 million over the next 4 years to fast track implementation of the key reforms to the EPBC Act,” said HIA Managing Director, Jocelyn Martin.

“Key amongst these reforms includes, Federal and State and Territory Governments entering into bilateral agreements to reduce the significant duplication in getting approvals.

“This will fast track new energy, housing and resources projects by combining federal and state assessments and approvals, reducing duplication in the assessment and approval process.  

“HIA recently appeared at the Senate Inquiry into Environment Protection Reform Bills where we made one key point the passage of the EPBC laws late last year is only the beginning — not the job done. 

“Further that the success of these reforms will rest entirely on how effectively they are implemented. In many respects, implementation is as critical, if not more critical, than the policy design itself.

“To achieve this, we called for the 2026–27 Federal Budget to allocate sufficient funding for a comprehensive implementation and education program. 

“Therefore, it is pleasing to see today’s announcement of a $45 million to support implementation and to prioritise progressing the new bilateral agreements between federal and state and territory governments.

“We are also seeing important progress from the “Housing Strike Team” that were established post the Economic Reform Roundtable, and their efforts to address the backlog of more than 26,000 long stalled homes have been significant — with one recent project approved in just 64 days.

“This must not be the exception but the new benchmark for timely, high quality decision making. For this reason, HIA is advocating that the Strike Team should be made permanent and resourced not only to clear historic backlogs but to ensure the system performs at the pace the community and economy demand.

“The EPBC reforms present a once in a generation opportunity to deliver an environmental approvals system that is credible, timely and trusted.

“Getting the implementation right is essential as the reforms are too important to risk poor execution or inconsistencies in application,” concluded Ms Martin.

For more information please contact:

Jocelyn Martin

Managing Director

Joe Shanahan

Manager, Communications & Media
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