Productivity Commission review to target delayed mining project approvals

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Lengthy processes to approve mining projects will be the focus of a one-year Productivity Commission review.

In an effort to streamline regulation across the resources sector, the commission will look at examples of best-practice regulation that reduce costs for businesses and uphold oversight standards.

Projects such as the controversial Adani coal mine — which was approved last month after nine years of protest and debate — will be the focus of the review.

Resources Minister Matt Canavan told The Australian “we must make sure anything like Adani does not happen again”.

“Thousands of jobs rely on us doing better in the future and I am keen to work with the states and territories to create more jobs in resources,” he said.

It is unclear how many jobs will actually result from the coal mine. Prospects of the firm offering thousands of jobs, like it initially promised, seems unlikely.

Canavan, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Ben Morton and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said assessing projects in a transparent and efficient manner is the main aim.

“It has become harder than ever to get new resources projects off the ground, restricting the sector’s future expansion and costing jobs right across Australia,” they said in a joint statement.

Community engagement practices, such as land-access, and government and industry benefit-sharing practices will be examined, and will coincide with a statutory review of national environmental protection law.