The McGowan Government has taken an important step forward in its commitment to reducing red tape for industry with technology company Insight awarded a $23 million contract to build Environment Online.
Environment Online is a customer-focused, digital one-stop shop for environmental assessment, approvals and compliance for industry and developers in Western Australia.
Led by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, Environment Online will improve the transparency and consistency of water and environmental approvals, and reduce the time taken for major projects to navigate joint State and Commonwealth environmental assessment processes by up to 12 months.
The Environment Online system will be built by Insight over the next three years and come on line progressively.
Environment Online is complemented by the establishment of a Biodiversity Information Office (BIO) led by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
BIO will make biodiversity data more easily available to industry and environmental assessment officers to enable better up-front decision making, reduce duplication and cost, and result in better assessment standards and processes.
Both Environment Online and BIO are linked under the Digital Environmental Assessment Program, a Commonwealth-State collaboration.
The awarding of the $23 million Environment Online contract follows the McGowan Government's record $120 million commitment to reducing red tape as part of the 2021-22 State Budget.
The funding will see more than 150 frontline officers recruited across five agencies to help streamline project assessments and approvals.
As stated by Environment Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson:
"Environment Online will be a game changer for environmentalists and industry alike, giving businesses greater clarity and certainty when making applications and improving timeframes for environmental assessments.
"At the same time, Environment Online will help ensure the State's environmental values are more easily identified and protected.
"This is just one way that we are supporting job-creating development in Western Australia, while ensuring robust environmental protections are in place."
