The Australian Mining Industry Council said the (ecologically) sustainable development working group process was an important step towards removing polarisation in the environment-development debate.

The Federal Government should now establish mechanisms to continue the consultation process.

"The report called for consistent, efficient and transparent decision-making processes and that is vitally needed," the executive director Mr Lachlan McIntosh said.

"We need firm time limits, firm arrangements for accountability, sensible standardisation and the avoidance of unnecessary duplication," he said.

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