ENVIRONMENTAL submissions are open for the proposed new Westport container port south of Perth.
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is calling for public comment on Westport’s Assessment Guidelines for the proposed marine and landside port infrastructure.
A statement issued by Westport said the public comment period began on 25 November and is open until 6 December 2024.
The public comment period is the next step in the environmental assessment process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth) (EPBC Act), Australia’s federal environmental legislation.
The Assessment Guidelines outline the requirements for the Commonwealth Public Environmental Report (PER).
The final Assessment Guidelines will be updated and approved by DCCEEW following consideration of public submissions.
The next step in the process is the assessment phase where the Public Environment Report (PER) is prepared by Westport and then submitted to DCCEEW.
Westport anticipates submitting the PER in early 2026, ahead of it being published by DCCEEW later in 2026 for a 20-business day public comment period.
Westport must secure environmental approvals under both the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (WA) (EP Act) and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth) (EPBC Act) before construction of the port can begin.
Environmental impact assessment documents for the Westport project will be publicly available, and subject to assessment by State and Commonwealth environmental regulators, for approval by the respective State and Commonwealth Ministers for Environment.
This process is expected to take two to three years from referral and will include multiple opportunities for public comment.
