‘Bad and getting worse’: Labor promises law reform for Australia’s environment. Here’s what you need to know

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 00:17:58 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/bad-and-getting-worse-labor-promises-law-reform-for-australias-environment-heres-what-you-need-to-know-186562>

"Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek acknowledges “it’s time to
change” after the State of the Environment report revealed a bleak picture of
Australia’s natural places.

In a speech on Tuesday, Plibersek foreshadowed a suite of reforms to
Australia’s environment policies, including new legislation to go before
parliament next year. Plibersek told reporters:

Australia’s environment is bad and getting worse, as this report shows, and
much of the destruction outlined in the State of the Environment Report
will take years to turn around. Nevertheless, I am optimistic about the
steps that we can take over the next three years.

The changes will be informed by the government’s response to Professor Graeme
Samuel’s independent review of federal environment law. That review found the
law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, has
failed to safeguard Australia’s vulnerable plants, animals, and ecological
communities.

Having been in the minister’s chair for only six weeks, Plibersek was hesitant
to outline major policy initiatives and said the government would consult
widely before making changes. She says overhauling Australia’s environmental
protections will be “challenging” and public views on the right policy response
will differ wildly.

Our collective expertise spans environmental law and ecosystem processes. Here,
we consider whether today’s announcements go far enough to restore and protect
Australia’s precious natural assets."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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