ENVIRONMENT VS JOBS DISCONNECT

The West Australian government is making some changes:

The economy will override environmental considerations and the role of environment minister will be downgraded in changes being considered by the Government.

A massive overhaul of how mining and other development applications are assessed in WA is revealed in confidential documents obtained by The Sunday Times.

Far-reaching recommendations by a special committee include a proposal to transfer Environment Minister Donna Faragher's powers to Mining and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore and the Premier.

If adopted, major and contentious developments might go ahead without needing approval from the Environment Minister.

Ross Garnaut disagrees:

At a conference in Perth, Professor Garnaut said the recession was a good time economically for governments to invest in structural change.

"The case for investment in mitigation in recession is that expenditure that improves the future operation of the economy gives value beyond the immediate stimulus to demand," he said.

Garnaut is an economist, not a "climate change expert". Governments wanting to be reelected have no choice but to make jobs their number one priority.