Interview with Loretta Ryan and Craig Zonca, ABC Radio Brisbane

LORETTA RYAN, HOST: And as we talk about Expo 88 and how it was developed over the years to get ready for it, are you now watching and wondering how on earth we're going to be ready for the Olympic Games in 2032. CRAIG ZONCA, HOST: Yeah, well, as 2026 blazes past us, there are plenty of projects that really need to get going, from the centrepiece stadium at Victoria Park, that national aquatic centre that's got to be at Spring Hill, the upgrade around the RNA, Chandler Sports Precinct also set for an upgrade.

You’ve got a couple of regional venues, upgrades to the tennis centre, the Brisbane International Shooting Centre, to name but a few. LORETTA RYAN: Yeah, and in many cases, it's environmental approval processes that need to be done but can delay things, which is why the federal government is urging Queensland to sign up to a new, faster approval framework. What is that all about?

CRAIG ZONCA: Well, let's find out. Federal Minister for the Environment and Water is Senator Murray Watt. Murray, good morning to you.

MURRAY WATT, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: G'day, Craig and Loretta. CRAIG ZONCA: So what are you actually asking for here? MURRAY WATT: Yeah, so I've written to the Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie suggesting that probably the best way for Queensland to be able to secure the environmental approvals that it requires for these venues, the fastest way from an environmental perspective is for our two governments to enter into what's known as a new bilateral agreement under the federal environmental laws, the EPBC Act.

You might recall at the end of last year, we passed some very significant reforms to that piece of legislation because for 25 years it had been not delivering to the environment. We've seen the environment go backwards, but also the processes in that Act have been tying project approvals up in unnecessary red tape. And one of the things that we can do now is improve on the existing agreements we have with states and territories around assessments and approvals.

And put simply, what it means if we can have one of these agreements is rather than Queensland having to assess and approve every single Olympic venue project, or for that matter mines, housing projects, energy projects, rather than the state government having to do the assessment and approval under their own laws, and then us having to separately assess and approve a project under federal laws, it can be done once by the state government against both sets of laws, and that can potentially save significant time, even years, in the assessment and approval process.

And we think from the Olympics perspective, we know there's a lot of work to be done to get those venues ready up in time. We want to be helpful. We're obviously putting a lot of money into this as well.

And our view is that signing one of these new agreements would be the best way to make sure that we get good environmental outcomes, but also work our way quickly through those requirements under both sets of laws. CRAIG ZONCA: So as it stands right now, as we chat, Senator, is Victoria Park, does it have your environmental approval at this point, the new stadium there?

MURRAY WATT: Well, to my knowledge, we haven't received anything seeking environmental approvals for it, and it may or may not require environmental approvals. What it will require, you would be aware that there's been a number of applications made under a different piece of Commonwealth legislation regarding Aboriginal cultural heritage. We are working our way through those applications at the moment.

I think we've got about six applications on foot at the moment about that. That's a separate thing to environmental approvals, but it is very likely that at least some of the Olympic venues will need Commonwealth environmental approvals because they may well impact on some of the things that we manage from an environmental perspective. And as I say, what we're saying to the Queensland Government is that, you know, there is a law in place, we've got to follow it, but there are ways that we can speed up the process.

And the best way to do that is to sign one of these new agreements. And if we do that, we can also use it to speed up housing approvals, energy approvals, minerals approvals all while making sure the environment in a sensitive way as well. LORETTA RYAN: But isn't that simply cutting corners?

And how can you guarantee that speeding up the process won't compromise the environmental protections? MURRAY WATT: It is certainly designed to speed up the process. I make no apologies for that.

And what we have found is that the fact that we currently need to get two different governments, state and federal, doing separate assessments and approvals can add years to the process. And there's no benefit to the environment in tying those projects up in that kind of red tape. What we are doing, though, is making sure that these agreements have very strong environmental safeguards.

So for example, a project when it’s assessed would need to meet our national environmental standards, which we're currently publishing. So it wouldn't just be against the state requirements. If we have higher expectations, then the project would need to meet that as well.

And also you may be aware that from 1 July, we'll be establishing for the first time a National Environment Protection Agency, and they will have a role in vetting and overseeing the state processes to make sure that they are up to scratch as well. So there are some good safeguards in there to make sure that the environment is protected. We obviously have an obligation to Australians and to the world to protect Australia's environment, but we don't think it helps the environment these processes and delay, whether it be Olympics projects, housing, energy projects, in that kind of red tape.

CRAIG ZONCA: Senator, about 20 minutes ago we had a call from the Deputy Premier's office. They say Jarrod Bleijie has indeed written to you already with a number of options to best coordinate and streamline venue approval, but they're waiting to hear back from you. MURRAY WATT: Well, I don't think that's true.

I'd be very happy to have a chat with Jarrod about it, but he seems to prefer to speak to us through the media. I'd be very happy to have a chat to Jarrod about that. There certainly have been discussions that have been occurring between our officials about we can arrange the environmental assessments and approvals for these projects.

But the purpose of my letter to him is to say, here is the best way that we can speed this up. You know, this has also come up in the context of that recent proposal around the Taroom oil fields. You will have seen the Queensland Government's been asking us to change legislation.

Basically, they've just been trying to wedge us and trying to make us oppose that development. And we've said, we're not against that development. We need to know what you want to do.

But again, if we could sign up to one of these bilateral agreements with them, that would remove the duplication of the process that we have at the moment, whether it be for Taroom, for the Olympics, for housing and anything else. CRAIG ZONCA: Just back to Victoria Park and the environmental approvals that could be required for the new stadium there. My understanding is that that there's a referral that's sitting with your department, your office, closed for consultation last week with GIICA, the Independent Infrastructure Authority, seeking a decision that that the project is not a controlled action.

And this is an important distinction because if it is a controlled action and you deem it to be so, then it has to undergo a full environmental assessment. So as I understand, that's sitting with your department, your office right now. MURRAY WATT: Yeah, and the issue we've got, Craig, is that if what Queensland asks us to do is to consider every Olympic venue separately under the existing processes that require state approvals and federal approvals, that will unnecessarily delay the process in getting the approvals for all of the venues.

What we're saying to them is there is an opportunity if they sign up to one of these new agreements, like other states have said that they're keen to do, then we can consider each of those projects together. We can consider all of the environmental offsets that might be required together, rather than going through every single project separately with state approvals required and assessments, as well as federal.

We are offering and trying to be helpful, we are offering a way to cut through this so we get the venues up and running on time, but also manage the environment. I mean, as I say, I was in Perth last week signing an MOU with the Western Australian Premier saying that we're going to enter one of these agreements this year. At the moment, we get radio silence from the Queensland Government.

This week, I've had discussions with two other states who are keen to sign up to one of these bilateral agreements. So, I really hope that the Queensland Government can come to its senses and work with us constructively, rather than just taking potshots through the media. CRAIG ZONCA: Senator Murray Watt, thanks so much for your time this morning.

MURRAY WATT: Good to talk to you both. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.