Environmental offset conditions aren't compensating for the harm caused by clearing and new projects, a Western Australian review has found, and the state's offsets policy will be strengthened.
Western Australia has proposed regulations that would allow companies to apply to have the state government act as the sole environmental decision-maker for their projects.
The Western Australian government has won the right to receive some EPBC Act offset revenue, and has secured passage of a state Bill that smooths the way for it to exercise EPBC approval powers.
A new Western Australian pilot program will provide state government funding to projects that create carbon credits by protecting biodiversity in national parks and reserves.
Rio Tinto, Woodside and Gina Rinehart's Roy Hill iron ore mining company have told a Senate inquiry that protecting Indigenous cultural heritage should remain primarily a matter for the states.
Despite federal government plans to fast-track initial EPBC Act amendments, finalising bilateral approval agreements with states and territories will be a lengthy process, law firm Clayton Utz has cautioned.
A company that received EPBC approval to clear vegetation for sand mining has been blocked by the Western Australian Supreme Court, which upheld a state government ministerial decision to refuse permission for clearing.