<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/tough-cop-on-the-beat-or-new-plod-enforcing-old-broken-laws-labors-epa-gets-a-grilling/>
"Federal Labor has introduced legislation to set up Australia’s first national
Environment Protection Agency that it insists will have strong new powers and
penalties to prevent serious damage to nature.
In the second stage of Nature Positive Reforms introduced to federal parliament
on Wednesday, the Albanese government’s
Nature Positive (Environment
Protection Australia) Bill 2024 sets up the new EPA to better safeguard
natural habitats.
The federal body will have powers to issue stop-work orders to prevent
environmental damage, while courts will be able to impose fines of up to $780
million or send people to prison for up to seven years for extremely serious
intentional breaches of federal environment law.
Federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek says the EPA will examine illegal
land clearing as one of its first priorities, following audits that found
one-in-seven companies could be in breach of offset conditions.
Legislation will also set up the head of Environment Information Australia, an
independent position that is required to provide environmental data to the
public. The EIA will also release State of the Environment reports every two
years instead of five.
A formal benchmark of “nature positive” will also be legislated, classed as an
improvement to the diversity, abundance, resilience and integrity of an
ecosystem.
“In short, nature positive means improving our ecosystems, including the
species that rely on, and form part of, an ecosystem,” Plibersek said on
Wednesday.
“Creating a nature positive Australia means that, across Australia, nature is
repairing and regenerating rather than continue to decline.”
Plibersek says that the toughening of environmental safeguards will also allow
for faster approvals and more transparency about projects, for developers.
And the minister says a third stage of reform – designed to make environmental
laws “less bureaucratic” and more fit for purpose – is in the works.
“We’ve already consulted almost 100 groups, held public webinars which 3,000
people have attended, and received around 2,500 submissions. We will continue
this work to get the laws right – for the environment and for business.”
But while the Albanese government describes the EPA as a “tough cop on the
beat” for the environment, critics say is more like a new cop administering the
same old “broken laws” that, among other things, continue to wave through
fossil fuel projects in the midst of a climate crisis."
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
