Resources Minister Matt Canavan today mocked Labor's calls for 'a just transition' away from fossil fuels and announced a Productivity Commission review to speed approvals of mining projects.
Resources Minister Matt Canavan has instructed Chief Scientist Alan Finkel to review assessment procedures for oil and gas exploration in the Great Australian Bight, but has told him not to examine whether it should be a drilling-free zone.
Labor members of a Senate inquiry into mine rehabilitation today suggested that EPBC approvals for mines should include conditions on rehabilitation and "care and maintenance" requirements.
Labor has sought to reassure industry that a new federal environmental agency and a new law that requires consideration of climate change would be better for both business and the environment.
Oil and gas companies could be ordered to pay for decommissioning projects they are no longer involved in, under changes canvassed by the federal government.
A taskforce advising Resources Minister Matt Canavan has recommended that the government be more flexible when imposing biodiversity offset requirements on companies.