LCWA Position and Public Action Guide

The State Development Bill 2025 is being sold as a blueprint for jobs and progress, but the truth is far more serious. The Bill hands sweeping power to the Premier to override dozens of laws, weaken transparency, limit community consultation and shut down independent scientific scrutiny.

Dr Brian Walker MLC has called this what it is. A power grab dressed up in hi vis.

WA should be a global leader in clean energy and environmental protection. Instead, we are being pushed toward becoming a vassal state for transnational corporations, with a Premier able to wave through the projects his mates want while ordinary West Australians slide from middle class security into the working poor.

If this Bill truly served the public, it would welcome scrutiny instead of crushing it.

What the Bill Really Does

The Bill creates broad modification powers that allow the Premier to override more than 40 laws that protect forests, water, climate resilience, cultural heritage and community rights.

It would let the Premier:

  • limit or block EPA investigations
  • restrict consultation or appeals
  • fast track major projects with minimal oversight
  • rewrite planning or environmental safeguards case by case

Nothing in the Bill limits these powers to clean energy. A future government could use them to push through fossil fuels, heavy industry or land clearing that local communities oppose.

Calling something state significant should raise the bar for scrutiny, not lower it.

You do not protect democracy by putting more power in fewer hands.

 

🎬 Take Action

Contact Your Upper House Members

Ask them to oppose or withdraw the State Development Bill.
Be polite, calm and clear. Choose two or three key points that matter to you.

Suggested points:

  • The Bill hands sweeping power to the Premier to override more than 40 laws
  • It weakens transparency and limits independent environmental scrutiny
  • Nothing restricts these powers to clean energy
  • WA deserves a democratic, accountable approvals system

 

☎️ Optional phone script

  • “Hi, my name is <Name> from <Suburb>.
  • I am asking <MP Name> to oppose the State Development Bill in the Upper House.
  • This Bill hands excessive power to the Premier, weakens transparency and risks fast tracking harmful projects without proper scrutiny.
  • I urge you to vote against the Bill.
  • Thank you for your time.”

 

📩 Optional email template

Subject: Please stop the State Development Bill 2025


Dear <MP Name>,


I am writing to express my strong opposition to the State Development Bill.
This Bill centralises power, weakens community consultation and undermines environmental protections that all West Australians rely on.
Nothing in the Bill limits these powers to clean energy and future governments could use it to push through fossil fuels or environmentally damaging developments.
I urge you to oppose the Bill or insist on full scrutiny and strong amendments that protect WA’s democratic processes and environment.


Kind regards,
<Your Name>
<Your Suburb>

 

Dr Brian Walker’s Comments

“This is not a development bill. It is a power grab bill dressed up in hi vis. If one Premier can override safeguards on a whim, every community in WA should be worried. Fast tracking is one thing. Bulldozing independent science and community voices is another. When the Premier can rewrite the rules project by project, investors get certainty but locals lose their rights. WA can lead the world in clean energy without tearing up democratic safeguards to get there.”

 

Media Contact

Dr Craig Buchanan
Phone: 0427 931 745
Email: [email protected]