Enviro Minister Announces Overhaul of Federal Environment Laws
“We welcome federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s important reform agenda: to fix including the establishment of a national Environmental Protection Agency to enforce nature protection laws.
“Strong national nature protection laws that halt the destruction of Australia’s bushlands, forests, wetlands, coastlines and oceans and enable the recovery of endangered plants and animals are critical to ending Australia's extinction crisis.
"Climate change is a key threat to Queensland's wildlife and unique ecosystems particularly the Great Barrier Reef. We welcome the commitment to extensive consultation, and we look forward to discussions about how the EPA and a stronger EPBC Act can require projects to measure indirect greenhouse gas emissions (‘Scope 3’ emissions), and ensure high-emitting projects are specifically required to be assessed.
“These new nature laws need to include third party assessments to ensure protections are applied to all uses, including agriculture and forestry, to address Queensland’s out of control landclearing.
“The Minister's announcement today was made in the right place.Queensland is the state with the greatest biodiversity, the most threatened species, the highest emissions and most proposed new coal or gas projects. Today’s announcement puts the spotlight on Queensland’s central role in protecting biodiversity, ensuring Australia achieves no new extinctions of native species, and addresses climate change.
“This is an all-in scenario, it’s about our life support system. We are on the Titanic as far as nature is concerned, and we need to pull all stops to arrest ecosystem collapse."
The Minister's full speech can be found by clicking here.
For more information, contact Dave Copeman on 0410 583 643