A delegation of Western Australians is in Canberra to meet with federal politicians ahead of potential debate of federal nature law reforms this week.
The seven delegates, who come from a range of backgrounds including farming, tourism, wine-making, wildlife care and local community groups, are meeting today with politicians including Senators Louise Pratt, Fatima Payman, Sarah Hanson-Young and Andrew McLachlan and MPs Kate Chaney and Tania Lawrence as well as with the offices of Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and Resources Minister Madeleine King.
With the WA Premier introducing legislation to weaken the WA EPA last week, the West Australians have told federal politicians that strong federal nature laws are more important than ever.
The WA changes mean the WA EPA board can be stacked with industry representatives and the State Government will issue ‘Statements of Intent’ telling the EPA its priorities and expectations. They were tabled in Parliament one week after it was revealed that the EPA is set to recommend against Woodside’s reckless Browse Gas plans due to its serious environmental risks.
The Canberra visit comes after WA’s hottest, driest summer on record in 2024, leading to mass deaths of penguins and turtles in Perth and widespread ‘forest collapse’ across the south west of WA.
Recent polling shows that 73% of Australians want stronger nature laws to protect our environment.
Rhiannon Hardwick, the Nature Program Manager at the Conservation Council of WA, said at a press conference in Parliament House today:
“We’ve come all the way to Canberra to show the federal government that voters in WA want stronger laws that protect nature and the places we love.
“We’re here to give voice to the overwhelming majority of West Australians who want nature protected.
“The loudest voices from WA are often the mega-rich fossil fuel interests but they don’t represent our communities.
“Last week the WA government caved in to mining magnates and the fossil fuel industry and tabled legislation in the WA Parliament to gut the independence of our EPA.
“This gutting of the independence of the EPA comes right at the time that we need to be curtailing emissions and protecting nature and is a real slap in the face to the majority of West Australians who want to see nature protected
“WA’s nature is in crisis. After WA’s longest, hottest, driest summer ever on record we’ve just witnessed an unprecedented die-off of forests and mass deaths of penguins and turtles in Perth.
“In the midst of this climate crisis and ecosystem collapse, we need to strengthen our federal laws to defend nature and the places we love.”
ENDS