Sartor dupes Parliament and the public again

The Planning Minister, Frank Sartor, has attempted to “clarify” the outcome of a bill currently before the NSW Parliament, which would remove the requirement of development proposals to have an adequate Environmental Assessment. The bill would also thwart a current court case against the proposed Anvil Hill coal mine.

In response to community concerns with the bill, Mr Sartor put amendments to the bill in Parliament yesterday, which he claimed would satisfy the concerns of the community.

The amendments do no such thing. None of the concerns that were raised by the community with the original incarnation of this bill have been met. The amended bill would still:

• allow developments to be approved even if the Environment Assessment for a development does not meet the Director General's Requirements

• apply retrospectively to developments currently being assessed. The bill would therefore nullify the outcome of the current case in the Land and Environment Court which seeks to force assessment of the climate change impacts of the proposed Anvil Hill coal mine in the Hunter Valley.

The amendments to the bill yesterday merely require the Director General of the Planning Department to prepare a “statement relating to compliance with environmental assessment requirements” before a proposed development is approved. The amendment does not state that the requirements have to be met.

Once again, Frank Sartor has attempted to dupe the Parliament and the public into accepting this bill, by deceiving us about its intent and its ramifications. His arrogance knows no bounds.