In parallel to the Procurement stage, projects develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or similar planning approvals application which consolidate findings of all the environmental and technical investigations and community engagement activities undertaken in earlier stages.
With the exception of the Stockinbingal to Parkes project in southern NSW which requires a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) and the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is the approval authority, each application is submitted to the state planning authority for assessment.
Subject to approval, project applications are released by state governments for public exhibition and comment. During this period, we hold information sessions and give local communities access to the application documents to make feedback submissions.
The approving authority may publish submissions online and require each project applying for planning approval to respond through a submissions report.
The final decision on whether a project is approved for construction is made by the relevant state government and the Australian Government, after which conditions of approval are issued to the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC). Note, ARTC is the final approval authority for the Stockinbingal to Parkes project.
Five projects are currently in Stage 4: Approvals