A plan to give a deputy premier the power to override a state government’s environmental laws for “strategic” projects has come under fire from a conservation group.
The Queensland government has introduced legislation giving Jarrod Bleijie the ability to bypass environmental and heritage laws for projects of “strategic” significance.
Mr Bleijie, who is also the state development minister, and who has “called in” a number of renewable and storage projects, and outright rejected one previously approved wind project, said the new legislation would be used for projects such as petroleum exploration in the Taroom Trough on Queensland’s Western Downs.
The 43,000 square kilometre area west of Brisbane has been described as a “sea of oil” by Premier David Crisafulli, and been touted as a project that would fuel the state’s energy needs.
The legislation will give the government the power to declare developments “state strategic projects” that would be considered by the Office of the Co-ordinator-General.
