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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 dow

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