Development coordination
The department and its predecessor have had a sustained focus on supporting the Northern Territory (NT) Government’s economic and environmental reform agenda across multiple programs since 2018.
It has focused on ensuring legislation is fit for purpose and the front-end decision-making is robust, consistent and underpinned by documented policy and procedure to provide clarity, consistency and guidance where appropriate.
Furthermore, the department has put in place practices that ensure there is accountability and transparency in its decision-making.
As a result, the Petroleum (Environment) Regulations 2016, Water Act 1992, Water Regulations 1992 and Pastoral Land Act 1992 have been modernised, and the new Environment Protection Act 2019 commenced.
A common frustration experienced by project proponents and across government is the apparent complexity of regulatory requirements across multiple Acts for a single project, many of which are managed by the department.
In response to this the department established a director of development coordination to support clients and proponents on the range of regulatory and policy requirements under the administration of the department and to assist with the effective coordination of these requirements across the legislation it administers.
This position is based within the Development Coordination branch, Rangelands division, as an extension of its current responsibilities to coordinate development approval advice across the agency.
The director development coordination is responsible for:
- providing a central point of contact (i.e. a 'single door') for project proponents and other departments, including internal management of the department correspondence and statutory requirements
- mapping the regulatory approval processes for different categories of projects (e.g. mines, large-scale horticultural projects etc.) that the department has responsibility for and prepare flowcharts and guidance material outlining timeframes and stages to assist proponents and government to be fully apprised of, and to be able to navigate, environmental and natural resource approval processes
- finding synergies across regulatory approvals and recommend and enable potential efficiencies and reforms
- engaging with proponents and relevant government agencies on the approvals process to provide high-level information and advice to support economic development in the NT.
The department has responsibility for the administration of more than 20 Acts and supporting subordinate legislation that cover environmental protection and licensing, management of the parks estate, natural resource allocation and management, bushfires management and pastoral lease administration and management, among others.
Collectively, this legislation, and its administration by the department, is critical to the economic, social and cultural development of the NT and integral to the start-up and operating approvals for agribusiness, mining and petroleum operations, horticulture developments and waste services, as well as industries and services such as tourism and water, roads, pipelines and other linear infrastructure.
If you need help navigating your project through the approval process please call Rebecca de Vries on 08 8999 6392 or email rebecca.devries@nt.gov.au.
