This bill is currently before Parliament.
Climate, energy & environment
Coal, oil and gas projects could again use faster federal environmental assessment pathways.
Senator Maria Kovacic (Liberal) presented the bill as a response to fuel insecurity, high prices and delays in approving energy projects. She said petrol prices had risen by nearly 50 per cent, compared with an average of 15 per cent in Japan and South Korea, and cited estimates of 403 billion barrels of shale oil across six Australian basins, including 17.5 billion barrels considered technically recoverable. She also said major offshore gas and condensate approvals took seven or eight years, while nearly 40 gas and oil projects, around 90 renewable-energy developments and about 80,000 homes were caught in federal environmental processes.
Parliament’s November 2025 environment reforms had introduced new limits on fossil-fuel projects, while fuel insecurity, higher petrol prices and long approval times sharpened pressure for more domestic supply. After Queensland sought faster federal approval for the Taroom Trough oilfield in April 2026 and opened an inquiry into federal environment laws, Senator Andrew Bragg introduced this private bill on 14 September 2026 to restore access to environmental pathways and Commonwealth support for coal, oil and gas projects.
The evidence pack contains no speech opposing or criticising the bill. Its two debate documents reproduce Senator Maria Kovacic's supporting case, including her argument that existing restrictions weaken energy security and delay projects.
Senator Andrew Bragg introduced this bill. Supportive speeches so far have come from Liberal.
Did it become law?
Not yet
Final passage
No final vote yet
The bill has not yet completed passage through Parliament.
Days since introduction
22 days
Updated 06 Oct 2026.
Meaning
Coal, oil and gas projects could again use faster federal environmental assessment pathways. The Environment Minister could also make exclusion decisions about these projects, declare them national-interest proposals or place them in priority groups for development zones. The bill would remove the EPBC ActThe main federal environmental assessment law.'s separate legal definition of a “fossil fuel action”, so energy and infrastructure developments would be assessed against the same criteria.
The Environment Minister could exempt fossil-fuel projects in conservation zones. Where a national-interest proposalA project given special national priority. overrides a regional environmental plan, the Minister could also declare a fossil-fuel project a priority action. Separately, the explanatory memorandum says the usual environmental standards would not apply to projects judged critical to national or sovereign interests; that pathway could cover projects such as housing and large-scale renewable energy.
Export Finance AustraliaThe Commonwealth body that provides export finance and support. could consider financing or supporting coal, crude-oil and natural-gas extraction, related infrastructure and investments involving fossil-fuel use. Ministerial directions could still prevent particular applications from being referred for support.
Commonwealth industry programs could fund coal and natural-gas extraction. The bill removes the specific ban, but programs would still need to fall within one or more of Parliament's constitutional powers.
Commonwealth bodies delivering the Future Made in Australia policy could support fossil-fuel extraction, related infrastructure and fossil-fuel investments. The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation could also consider directly financing coal or gas extraction and natural-gas pipelines.
Hydrogen made using coal gasificationProducing gas from coal for processes such as hydrogen production. or steam methane reformingProducing hydrogen from methane using steam. could qualify for certification for a production tax incentive. Certification would become possible, but the bill does not guarantee that every project would receive the incentive.
Ministers could make temporary rules to manage the transition to the amended laws. Those rules could not create offences or civil penalties, grant arrest, detention, entry, search or seizure powers, impose a tax, allocate money from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, or directly rewrite the Act.
Item 1 – Paragraph 87(5A)(a) Item 1 repeals paragraph 87(5A)(a) of the EPBC Act. This amendment removes the statutory bar, inserted by the Reform Act, that would have prevented fossil fuel actions from undergoing streamlined environmental assessment pathways. Item 2: Subsection 146P(1A) Repeals subsection 146P(1A), removing the restriction inserted by the Reform Act that would have prevented the Minister from making exclusion determinations in respect of fossil fuel actions. Item 3: Subsection 157A(1A) Repeals subsection 157A(1A), inserted by the Reform Act, enabling fossil fuel actions tEnvironment and Other Legislation Amendment (Fast Tracking Coal, Gas and Oil Projects) explanatory memorandum
Item 5: Subsection 177BT(1A) Repeals subsection 177BT(1A), inserted by the Reform Act, enabling the Minister to grant exemptions for fossil fuel actions in conservation zones. Item 6: Subsection 177CF(1A) Repeals subsection 177CF(1A), inserted by the Reform Act, allowing the Minister to declare a fossil fuel project as a priority action for national interest proposals that override bioregional plans.Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Fast Tracking Coal, Gas and Oil Projects) explanatory memorandum
Item 8: Subsection 23B(2) (notes 1 and 2) Repeals notes 1 and 2 and substitutes a consolidated note clarifying that Ministerial directions under section 26 may govern referral requirements for EFIC support, consistent with the amendment of the Future Made in Australia Act 2024 at item 11. Item 9: Section 23C Repeals section 23C, which prohibited EFIC from directly financing coal, crude oil, or natural gas extraction, associated infrastructure, or investments for fossil fuel usage.Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Fast Tracking Coal, Gas and Oil Projects) explanatory memorandum
Item 10: Subsection 33(2) Repeals and substitutes subsection 33(2), removing paragraph 33(2)(b) which barred the Minister from prescribing funding programs that subsidise coal or natural gas extraction.Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Fast Tracking Coal, Gas and Oil Projects) explanatory memorandum
Item 11: Section 10A Repeals section 10A, removing statutory bans on Commonwealth entities providing Future Made in Australia support for fossil fuel extraction, related infrastructure, or fossil fuel investments. Item 12: Subsection 63(3) Repeals subsection 63(3), removing prohibitions that prevented the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation from directly financing coal or gas extraction and natural gas pipeline infrastructure.Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Fast Tracking Coal, Gas and Oil Projects) explanatory memorandum
Items 13 and 14: Paragraphs 421-55(3)(b) and 421-55(3)(c) Item 13 is a consequential amendment relating to the amendment made by item 14. Item 14 repeals paragraph 421-55(3)(c), removing the restriction that prevented the Clean Energy Regulator from certifying hydrogen production pathways involving coal gasification or steam methane reformation.Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Fast Tracking Coal, Gas and Oil Projects) explanatory memorandum
15 Transitional rules (1) This item applies in relation to a provision of an Act amended, repealed or substituted by another item of this Schedule. (2) The Minister administering the provision may, by legislative instrument, make rules prescribing matters of a transitional nature (including prescribing any saving or application provisions) relating to that amendment, repeal or substitution of the provision. (3) To avoid doubt, the rules may not do the following: (a) create an offence or civil penalty; (b) provide powers of: (i) arrest or detention; or (ii) entry, search or seizure; (c)Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Fast Tracking Coal, Gas and Oil Projects) introduced text
Context
Parliament’s November 2025 environment reforms had introduced new limits on fossil-fuel projects, while fuel insecurity, higher petrol prices and long approval times sharpened pressure for more domestic supply. After Queensland sought faster federal approval for the Taroom Trough oilfield in April 2026 and opened an inquiry into federal environment laws, Senator Andrew Bragg introduced this private bill on 14 September 2026 to restore access to environmental pathways and Commonwealth support for coal, oil and gas projects.
Parliament passes environment reform bills
The package introduced streamlined approval arrangements, while the later bill’s explanatory memorandum said it restricted fossil-fuel projects from some environmental pathways and Commonwealth support.
Treasury ↗Queensland calls for faster approval of the Taroom Trough oilfield
The state argued that speeding up approval of what could be Australia’s first new oilfield in decades would help strengthen fuel security.
Reuters ↗Queensland launches inquiry into federal environment laws
The proposed year-long inquiry followed a dispute over Taroom Trough exploration and threatened to delay another pathway for accelerating the oil project.
Australian Financial Review ↗Senator Andrew Bragg introduces the private bill
The bill’s second-reading case cited fuel insecurity, sharply higher petrol prices and lengthy federal environmental approval processes as reasons to support more domestic energy development.
Hansard ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Key criticism
The evidence pack contains no speech opposing or criticising the bill. Its two debate documents reproduce Senator Maria Kovacic's supporting case, including her argument that existing restrictions weaken energy security and delay projects.
Kovacic argued that removing the restrictions would increase domestic energy supply and make power cheaper and more reliable. These are the bill proponent's stated expectations; the evidence pack does not contain an opposing assessment or independent analysis of those claims.
Further sources
Votes
No recorded votes have been found yet for this bill.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Kovacic supports the bill, arguing that faster approvals and restored financing for domestic oil, gas and coal projects would strengthen energy security, increase supply and reduce costs.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
1 speaker · 1 support
“This Bill will back Australian resources, unlock new supply, and deliver cheaper, more reliable power for households and businesses right across the nation.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
