A MORE pro-active Environmental Protection Authority is what new executive chairman Wally Cox wants to create.
Dr Cox took over the chairmanship on March 31, replacing long serving chair Bernard Bowen.
As government positions go, the EPA is not a bad one to get. It is liked by both business and green groups and has also missed the flak aimed at the Department of Environmental Protection in recent weeks.
Of course, business groups want it to put through development applications more quickly and green groups want it to be more proactive.
Ironically, in one way, they both want the same thing.
Dr Cox said industry was looking for the authority to expedite the environmental assessment process.
“We’re happy to do that, providing it’s a quality process and includes community consultation,” he said.
“From the green side, protection of the environment lies in putting in place environmental protection policies.”
The creation of these policies is something Dr Cox wants to speed up.
He admitted the EPAs approach of looking at development applications with a combination of position statements to reflect community aspirations and values in terms of environment, and the proponent’s proposal to make judgements on the project’s suitability, was a reactive one.
“The pro-active approach is the establishment of policies by government to meet community expectations,” Dr Cox said.
The speed of assessing a development application depended on the information the company provided, he said.
While the two organisations are linked – the EPA’s support staff is supplied by the DEP – their roles are separate.
The EPA plays two main roles – it assesses projects for their environmental sustainability and provides a policy framework for environmental outcomes from which other government agencies and the community can work.
The EPA is also an authority established under its own act, which means it can advise the environment minister but the minister cannot direct it to do anything.
However, the minister or the government can choose to ignore its advice, as was proved with the recent Portman Mining application to mine a new ore body at Koolyanobbing.
Dr Cox said the Portman advice had been made before he took chairmanship of the EPA.
He said the minister had looked at the Portman application in light of the EPA’s advice and also in-formation from the appeal convenor.
The EPA had advised that the company not be allowed to mine 60 per cent of the ore body to protect 60 per cent of the rare plants found on that body.
The decision by the minister was that 50 per cent of the plants be protected but that more of the ore body could be mined if the plants could be replanted.
Dr Cox admitted the EPAs handling of the Maud’s Landing development at Coral Bay had also proved controversial.
The authority approved the $200 million marina development last year.
However, that was before Dr Cox had even become a member of the authority’s board. He only took his seat on the board in January.
Dr Cox has had a long career in government and business. He started off with the Department of Agriculture and spent six years as the head of the Water Authority.
However, he is probably best known for his time as CEO of the East Perth and Subiaco redevelopment authorities and the restructure of the old Department of Conservation and Land Management.
Prior to joining the EPA he was Edith Cowan University executive dean of the faculty of business and public management.
