Opinion: Time to fix a planning system stacked against the regions

Originally published in The Daily Telegraph, 19 August 2024

Welcome to the brave new world of regional development.

City politicians visit the regions, declare support for local communities, then impose new rules and regulations against the regional industries those same communities rely upon.

Job generating, long term economic projects for our state are held hostage to a planning system so stacked against approvals that it’s almost impossible to get anything done.

Projects surviving this gauntlet to approval then suffer endless legal challenges and delays.

Those trying to invest and create jobs must wonder why they should bother.

Two proposed new mining operations were approved by the NSW Government in April last year. Both are now at risk, along with 850 jobs and hundreds of millions in investment.

Gold mining helped build regional NSW. It remains one of our most valuable exports, with some of the world’s best deposits and mining operations here. The new McPhillamys gold mine near Blayney could provide 300 jobs, and regional economic growth.

The mine received NSW Government approval after a three year assessment. The Greens and Environmental Defenders Office opposed the project. A Commonwealth cultural heritage objection was lodged. The relevant Aboriginal Land Council, with the legal right to speak on behalf of country, submitted the project would not impact any known sites or artefacts of high significance, and the objection had no reasonable foundation in evidence. Yet the federal Environment Minister has stepped in, effectively blocking the project due to cultural heritage issues she says are so sensitive she cannot publicly disclose them.

The Bowdens Silver mine was approved by the NSW Government in April 2022 after a three year assessment process. Silver is on the NSW Government’s critical minerals list. It is used for many applications, including the manufacture of solar panels and other renewable energy components. Yet silver mining in NSW is opposed by the NSW Greens.

The project has been targeted by legal activism, urged on by the NSW Greens. After several rounds of the courts, the project’s approval has now been overturned on administrative grounds, putting 550 potential jobs and more investment at risk.

So here we are. The brave new world of regional development. The rules are changed to fast-track massive renewables projects offering fewer, less paid jobs for locals, and a land impact legacy much more significant than most other development. The Greens oppose the mining of silver, even though it’s essential for the energy transition they claim to support. A Minister blocks a gold mine on the basis of disputed cultural secrets, whispered in her ear.

Meanwhile our farmers are told the food they produce is a threat to the planet and should be replaced by chemically created substances, departments deploy aerial drones to spy on farms, and bureaucrats threaten compulsory land acquisitions for transmission lines.

Our regions cannot survive without investment, jobs and growth. A base of economic activity is critical for regional communities to build their prosperity. Yet many of our key regional industries are under attack from rules, regulations and processes bordering upon Orwellian.

And the planning system is completely tilted against development, working in tandem with the legal system to hinder approvals at every step, or then overturn them in the courts.

Politicians rule over us most of the time. Elections are our opportunity to rule over them. With a federal election due in the months ahead, there will be an opportunity on polling day for sensible, rational, reasonable people to stand up and say enough is enough.

Stephen Galilee

CEO NSW Minerals Council