Overall, its “green tape” bill would save Queensland businesses about $11.7 million each year, Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection Andrew Powell said.

“After consulting with industry in the lead up to and after the March 2012 election, it is evident that businesses need certainty to invest and flexibility to allow for growth. The amendments I have introduced this week will deliver just that,” Powell said.

“The Newman government has a mandate to cut regulation and red tape by 20 per cent, and the changes I’m announcing today will go a long way towards that.

“Currently, most environmental approvals must go through a ‘one size fits all’ site assessment.

“These changes to legislation will offer three ways to apply for approval of environmentally relevant activities – including an automatic approval process – depending on the size and environmental risk posed by business activities.”

The Bill would cut 90 pages from the Environmental Protection Act, replacing duplicated provisions with a single clear process, Powell said.

“Amendments to the approval process will see the timing of public notification changed so that it occurs earlier in the assessment process,” he said.

“This will reduce assessment timeframes by around three months and allow communities to express any concerns about an application to make sure environmental outcomes are delivered.

“Let me be clear, this is in no way a weakening of environmental protection laws or environmental conditions. Rather, this bill is aimed at streamlining administrative process without reducing or removing any environmental standards that businesses are required to meet.”

“It is estimated that following full implementation in March 2013, around half of all ERAs – around 410 applications a year – will be able to go through the standard automatic application process, saving each applicant an average of $20,000 in application preparation costs, 68 days in processing time and 150 pages in avoided application materials.”

“This will cut Queensland’s green tape burden by approximately 62,000 pages per year.”

This is the first tranche of regulatory simplification as there is scope to further streamline environmental legislation and reduce green tape, Powell said.

“The changes will make it easier and cheaper for small business to be established in Queensland and will reduce the burden on businesses as they grow, allowing for further investment and job creation,” he said.

“For my department, these changes will significantly reduce processing times, which will free up resources that can be directed to frontline services to ensure the ongoing protection of Queensland’s environment.”