Yesterday’s decision by the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to withdraw their reckless carbon emissions guidelines will help protect jobs and investment, Business Council chief executive Jennifer Westacott said.

“We congratulate the McGowan government for acting quickly following the release of the EPA guidelines last week. The EPA has made the right decision in shelving the guidelines, ensuring that jobs are not put at risk by a poor and rushed policy process.

“Reducing our carbon emissions should be done as part of a national and co-ordinated approach rather than through state-based and ad-hoc regulation, we look forward to working to ensure this is the case in the future.

“We welcome the opportunity for proper consultation, ensuring that business, who employ 11 million of the 13 million working Australians, can help design guidelines which do not stall much needed investment.

“More ad hoc regulation would have undermined the competitiveness of Australian businesses, forcing them to compete with one hand tied behind their backs. Getting these regulations right is essential if employers are going to keep investing in new jobs and higher wages, as well as improving the efficiency of our carbon footprint.”