New federal nature law reforms introduced into Parliament today do not go far enough to create the real protections nature needs according to the Conservation Council of WA (CCWA).
CCWA Executive Director Matt Roberts said the revised Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act (EPBC) proposal before Parliament is “a missed opportunity to deliver the reforms Graeme Samuel proposed five years ago to deliver on real protections for our environment which is in crisis”.
"It’s been a five-year wait for a new National Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with powers to stop environmental destruction and punish lawbreakers, but what we see here is a weak set of laws that fall well short,” Mr Roberts said.
“We have seen parts of this bill selectively fed out to groups over the last few weeks, and today the full draft is finally available. It’s been five years since the Samuel Review, nearly six months since Minister Watt has taken this portfolio, and only just now have a sense of what we’re really dealing with here.
“Labor has made the claim that these laws are an improvement on the current Act, but that is a low bar to set. Nature needs more than an improvement – it needs us to actually take account of our actions.
“The current laws have failed Nature – that's evident in the increased threatened species and loss of habitat due to loopholes and poor regulation.
“What’s not evident is the claim that these revisions have failed industry – it's a claim that doesn’t come with the receipts. Yet we’ve seen this discussion framed around streamlining for the benefit of industry instead of reforming our laws to actually protect nature.
“We’ve also been asked to sign-on to these laws without the standards they would be measured against. The lack of nature in the messaging from the government gives us concerns that they will not be the standards nature needs in Australia.
"In WA we have seen unacceptable levels of habitat loss across the state - pushing some species into extinction - and moving some of our most iconic animals closer to extinction.
“Our black cockatoos are losing their nesting sites at a rate that cannot be replaced, and once they are gone, they are gone forever.
“These laws are tinkering around the edges of what is really needed to stop extinction and protect critical habitat.
“Considerations, including climate impacts on Matters of National Environmental Significance (NMES) and climate adaptation, should be a mandatory consideration in all decisions under the Act. We need to embed a set of climate principles in the legislation that are considered in the assessment and decision-making process.
“The current draft to just report on local emissions is a tokenistic requirement that won’t make a real difference.
“Principles should include the protection of MNES from climate change, meeting Australia’s international climate obligations and supporting climate adaptation.“
ENDS
Media contact: John Cooke – 0433 679 780 – [email protected]