Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) Government has changed its mining policy process in a bid to ensure economic, environmental and social considerations are well-balanced when determining mining projects.
Following this, a report outlining the amendment to the mining state environmental planning policy (SEPP) and the submissions that were made will be published online.
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The proposed reforms, which were on exhibition in July, received more than 2,400 submissions, 98% of which backed the new amendment.
Planning minister Rob Stokes said the community overwhelmingly supported the reform.
Stokes said: "Mining plays an important role in the NSW economy, however we must ensure that our policies reflect the importance of balance in assessing the likely impacts of mining developments.
"A crucial pillar of our planning system is that decisionmakers consider environmental impacts on both the natural and built environments, and social and economic impacts in their assessment of development applications."
In July, the government had released a proposed amendment to the SEPP that considers the significance of mined resources at the time of evaluating mine projects.
Stokes said that the draft amendment requires decision makers to consider the likely environmental, social and economic impacts of a mining development.
Image: NSW’s new draft amendment requires decision makers to consider the likely environmental and economic impacts of a mining development. Photo: courtesy of NSW government.
