Australian news and politics: Chris Bowen concedes that high energy prices threaten Tomago Aluminium

The average time for major project approvals has blown out by close to 18 months over the two decades Australia’s environmental laws have been in effect.

The Government is releasing the figures as it makes a case for overhauling the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act before the end of the year.

For the first four years that EPBC laws were in operation, from 2000 to 2004, the median approval time for major projects was 48 weeks. That has more than doubled now to 118 weeks, or well over two years.

Environment Minister Murray Watt released the final details of his new legislation to stakeholders and other parties on Monday evening and is expected to put it to Parliament on Thursday.

He says a key aim is cutting down on the time it takes to give proponents a yes or no on their applications.

“Every day of delay on these important reforms is costing businesses time and money and damaging our environment,” he said.

“It’s taking on average 70 weeks longer to get an approval now than at the turn of the century. Our reforms would cut that time down, while increasing environmental protections.”

Jamaica is bracing for category five Hurricane Mellisa, a system which has now earned the title of the worst storm of 2025.

The system, which is incredibly powerful, bringing potential gusts of 280km/h winds, is also slow-moving, meaning the country is set for horrendous, drawn-out conditions.

Footage has emerged online of a plane flying through the eye of Hurricane Melissa, showing the unbelieve scale of the system.

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Two people have died in an underground mine explosion in Far Western New South Wales on Tuesday morning.

Emergency services were called to the mine on Endeavour Mine Road at Cobar, about 450km east of Broken Hill, about 3.45am, after being told two people had been critically injured in a workplace incident.

Police were immediately told one man had been confirmed dead after the underground explosion.

Two people have died in an underground mine explosion in Far Western New South Wales on Tuesday morning.

Emergency services were called to the mine on Endeavour Mine Road at Cobar, about 450km east of Broken Hill, about 3.45am, after being told two people had been critically injured in a workplace incident.

Police were immediately told one man had been confirmed dead after the underground explosion.

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Enterprise software play WiseTech Global said Federal Police raided its offices on Monday in connection with alleged share trading activities of its founder Richard White and three other employees.

In a statement, WiseTech Global said ASIC and the AFP “executed a search warrant requiring the production of documents regarding alleged trading in WiseTech shared by Richard White and three WiseTech employees during the period from late 2024 to early 2025”.

Mr White held 120.4 million shares in the South Sydney-based cargo logistics software business worth around $10.2 billion and has regularly sold shares since the business listed to build a sprawling property and investment empire.

“So far as WiseTech is aware, no charges have been laid against any person and there are no allegations against the company itself. WiseTech intends to cooperate with any investigation,” the company said in a statement to the ASX.

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