The Executive Director of the Conservation Council of WA, Jess Beckerling, has spoken out at federal Parliament in Canberra this morning to explain that West Australians voters want stronger nature protections, despite what the West Australian government and newspaper say.

It comes after a WA government MP broke ranks in WA Parliament yesterday to express concerns about “concerted effort by interest groups at a state and federal level” and the front page of the West Australian newspaper branded the Albanese government “an enemy of the state”.

Ms Beckerling responded to remarks by WA Labor MP Chris Tallentire during debate about the WA government’s own nature law reforms that “nature negative is the situation that we have got into” following “headlines on the front page of The West Australian.”

“It is just so important that we, as members of this place, realise that there is a concerted effort by interest groups to counter the environmental protection laws that exist at a state and federal level,” Tallentire said (from 7 mins here).

At her press conference in Canberra this morning, Ms Beckerling made these remarks:

“I’m in Canberra this morning talking to Members of the federal government about what West Australians actually want. 

“The West Australian government and some sections of our media are presenting a false picture to the rest of the country.

“As we all know the WA Premier is currently using his influence to lobby for weaker protections for nature to further advantage polluting industries like oil and gas. 

“But with all due respect, the Premier has misread the WA community on this one and he is not acting in our name. 

“We have a long and proud legacy of standing up for nature in WA. From forests to coral reefs, we have stood up time and again in huge numbers over many years to defend the magnificent natural environment that makes WA such a special place to live. 

“These is a growing discontent in WA and this was highlighted yesterday in the Parliament when a long standing WA Labor MP said this, and I quote:

“It is just so important that we, as members of this place, realise that there is a concerted effort by interest groups to counter the environmental protection laws that exist at a state and federal level. This concerted effort is most clearly seen in the writings of the Seven West Media group, with the number of headlines and stories on at least a weekly basis attacking nature positive evidence of this.

“Now we see headlines on the front page of The West Australian that these laws are nature negative. Actually, nature negative is the situation that we have got into. This is why we must have the strongest possible environmental protection laws at a state and federal level,” that Labor MP concluded.

“A headline in the West today called the Albanese government an enemy of the state. The only enemy of our state are those who would sacrifice nature and communities for the sake of oil and gas profits.”

ENDS