Unlocking certainty: Why Australia must invest early to build smarter

Reforming environmental approvals is key to accelerating infrastructure, restoring trust, and delivering ecological resilience.

Australia | Monday, 1 September 2025

At a glance:

Early investment matters: Underinvesting in early assessments leads to costly delays and missed opportunities.
Fragmented systems stall progress: Overlapping laws and unclear standards slow projects and shake confidence.
Reform unlocks certainty: Streamlined approvals and early planning help Australia build smarter and faster.

Australia’s infrastructure ambitions are being held back by a critical gap: underinvestment in early-stage environmental and geotechnical assessments. As pressure mounts on our approvals system, delays and cost blowouts are rising.

As part of WSP’s ongoing partnership with the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), and its Environmental Approvals and Nature Impact series, we’re advancing the conversation on environmental approvals by bringing together sector leaders to unlock smarter, faster infrastructure delivery.

If we are serious about leading on environmental reform – and doing it at the pace our economy and climate demand – we need to fix the front end of project planning.

Matthew Uidam Managing Director - Earth and Environment

Matthew Uidam Managing Director - Earth and Environment

Three core issues driving inefficiency and uncertainty:

One in four megaprojects run over budget by more than 50%. Australia’s fragmented approvals system is stalling progress, undermining ecological integrity and eroding public trust. It’s complex, inconsistent and slowing us down.

Duplication and delay: Multiple assessments across federal and state jurisdictions often cover the same ground, wasting time and resources.
Unclear standards: Inconsistent benchmarks for biodiversity, offsets, and cumulative impacts create confusion and generate risk.
Limited capacity: Agencies and proponents alike are stretched thin, slowing decision-making and reducing the quality and consistency of outcomes.

Industry realities: What’s at stake?

Across mining, energy, and water sectors, regulatory misalignment and fragmented approvals are stalling progress.

In mining, the stakes are high and the margins for delay are slim. We need an approvals system that’s not just faster, but smarter, and one that recognises the complexity of modern mine development and supports concurrent planning, not sequential bottlenecks. Certainty at the front end is what enables innovation, investment, and long-term environmental stewardship.

Adrian Chapman Managing Director, Mining & Metals

Adrian Chapman Managing Director, Mining & Metals

We’re seeing firsthand how fragmented approvals are slowing down Australia’s energy transition. Delays in transmission projects and the complexity of navigating renewables developments through to financial close are putting our future energy security at risk. Smarter, faster environmental approvals aren’t just about compliance… they’re about unlocking the infrastructure needed to decarbonise and future-proof our energy systems.

Felicity Galluzzo Director, Power & Energy

Felicity Galluzzo Director, Power & Energy

Water infrastructure is uniquely vulnerable to delays caused by regulatory misalignment. Early investment in approvals and planning is essential to ensure resilience and continuity, especially as climate and operational pressures intensify.

Dean Toomey Director, Water

Dean Toomey Director, Water

Environmental approvals aren’t a hurdle but rather a lever for smarter, faster, and more sustainable growth.

Reframing environmental approvals to unlock certainty:

Certainty through reform: Clear, fast, and consistent approvals unlock progress. A national taskforce could lead reform by aligning engineering, economics and politics together to drive outcomes, drawing on proven models like New South Wales’ Planning Delivery Unit.
Productivity without compromise: Early engagement, better planning and performance-based assessments enable timely, high-quality decisions that protect nature and drive growth.

Reform must be bold, collaborative, and outcome driven. Let’s build a smarter system that delivers for nature and the economy.

Read the full article here.

From approvals to outcomes, Australia’s infrastructure future depends on bold reform and early investment. Connect with our experts to learn more.