One Nation would scrap coal regulator, hand power to ministers
One Nation plans to scrap the Independent Planning Commission. It wants ministers to approve coal mines directly.
One Nation wants to scrap the Independent Planning Commission. The Independent Planning Commission was set up in 2018 to stop politicians from approving major projects in backroom deals.
The party says ministers should make coal approvals instead. The proposal came after the High Court ruled a Hunter Valley coal mine expansion breached environmental law.
It breached the law by ignoring how coal burnt overseas affects Australia's climate. One Nation is chasing votes in the coal-rich Hunter Valley ahead of the state election in March.
The party argues independent regulators add unnecessary layers of red tape. But the planning commission was created after years of corruption scandals tied to ministerial approvals.
Rob Stokes was the former planning minister who set it up. He warned the change would return to the bad old days of arbitrary decision-making.
He said it would invite costly court challenges.
- 2018
- Planning commission established
- March in NSW
- State election
- Hunter Valley
- Dispute location
- Rob Stokes
- Former minister
Why it mattersRemoving the regulator would only slow down time for decisions because of the risk of expensive lawsuits. It would also strip away protections against corrupt decision-making.
AustraliaNSW coal miners and environmental groups are watching closely. A change would reshape how major mining decisions are made in Australia's most coal-dependent state.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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