CANBERRA (Reuters) -Australia’s government will introduce an environmental protection bill into parliament on Thursday that it said would better protect nature while helping business by making approvals for resource and construction projects quicker and simpler.

The centre-left Labor government hopes its legislation will deliver a shot in the arm for an economy geared towards resource extraction. Australia is a major producer of gas, metals and coal.

“These vital changes have been waiting for five years to be delivered, and in the meantime, we’ve seen our environment go backwards and businesses have lost time and money,” the environment ministry said in a statement.

“The bill will deliver modern, balanced national environmental laws for Australia that deliver big gains for the environme

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