Australian Water Management Review Vol 2 2013 | Page 72
be to adopt the Minerals Council of Australia – Sustainable Minerals Institute water accounting framework. With all mines using consistent language, measurement techniques and reporting there is increased scope to seek regional synergies and to save costs in sharing people and information. Under these circumstances research agencies make good partners for collaboration because of their experience across sites, issues and companies and expertise in forming and running collaborative projects and teams. Further, these teams can include the available skills in companies across the region. With common language progress can be made far more rapidly. Cost can be reduced as each company is not spending time and money developing their own internal measurement and reporting standards while having to comply externally with another system for regional coordination and/or government requirements. At a time of industry downturn and consequent reduction in project approvals activities, some believe it sensible to reduce activity associate with approvals and associated policy. I argue the opposite. This is an opportunity to shift from an operational or tactical approach on approvals to a strategic outlook. The reason this is timely is because approvals policy does not need tweaking to make it more effective, it needs a significant overhaul. The area of water management is amenable to improvement but time is needed to clearly articulate the current shortfalls, rethink the system and then road test – with wide consultation – some alternative approaches. The reason that this is the right time is
that under more buoyant conditions all hands are on deck undertaking the necessary work for multiple projects under various stages of development. At such a time it is not in the interests of proponents to have to deal with major changes to the approach let alone be responsible for those changes. However, at a time where operational efficiency of existing operations dominate, companies can consider more radical suggestions. The aim of reform should be to unambiguously and radically increase the productivity of the project approvals process and improve the environmental outcomes from the projects that result. The small resource investment in time by companies today should result in returns many fold over if a more productive approach can be developed. This is one example of what many people are currently discussing under the general title of ‘using the downturn to get well prepared for the recovery’. The first target for a new approvals system should be to dispel several current myths that better project and environmental outcomes result from: 1. bigger environmental impact statement (EIS) documentation 2. more expensive processes involving more people from industry, consulting companies and government 3. more government-imposed operating conditions. Currently, EIS documentation is so large and complex that governments are struggling with internal skills and resources to cope with them.
A good example is the so-called Independent Expert Scientific Committee for coal seam gas and large coal mines. A group of people with technical or policy expertise in areas relevant to water management in coal mining and coal seam gas are providing advice to the federal environment minister, apparently because the minister was unable to receive sufficient advice from the department. This is but one example of many where government is seeking external input to deal with the overload of their own regulatory requirements. Unfortunately, the advice being provided is not u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