So what are the reforms in a nutshell?

The legislation gives the federal government more control over state approvals for projects with environmental impacts, while also streamlining mining approval processes. Before the Greens got involved, this included ‘go and no go zones’ which could fast track projects, including coal and gas.

Coal and gas will now be in the same track they have always been – fossil fuel projects won’t be approved any faster than they are currently, but they also won’t be approved any slower (or stopped, which is what is really needed)

The water trigger remains in the legislation, which is something the mining industry wanted out. The water trigger means that if a project (in this case gas) significantly impacts a water supply or basin, then the project has to be rejected (in theory). So that trigger won’t be scraped, which means there are still ways to challenge gas projects. That’s a status quo situation.

Forestry is back on the agenda, with the first steps to ending it in Australia. That’s still a way off given how this government responds, but it will mean that there is something to fight for. With the exemptions now to end in 18 months, instead of three years, that comes before the election, which means there is something environment groups can fight for.

And the minister retains the power to step in to stop an approved project, which was important because ministers also have to way up public expectations in a way that statutory bodies don’t. But again, retaining a power that exists that Labor wanted to scrap.

That’s it in a nutshell. These laws are not for the environment and certainly not for the climate, but they are not as bad as they could have been, and that is a small win in 2025.

What comes next? The actual fight. Seems like environment groups, Labor members and the public know enough about what is actually going on to at least be willing to drag the government to have it. There is always hope, but hope without action is fruitless.