‘Get on board’: minister’s environment overhaul appeal
Zac de Silva |
A deal on reforms to better protect Australia’s natural sites while speeding up major project approvals is unlikely to be struck soon, as the government faces calls to overhaul different parts of the legislation.
Labor plans to introduce big changes to the nation’s environment laws into parliament on Thursday and hopes to pass the legislation by the end of the year, but doesn’t have the Senate numbers to do so on its own.
Environment Minister Murray Watt has been negotiating with the coalition and Greens but on Monday played down prospects of an imminent agreement.
“It’d be pretty unusual to strike a deal on a bill like this before it’s even been introduced to the parliament,” he told reporters in Canberra.
Senator Watt insisted he was open to working with the opposition or the Greens to get the legislation through parliament and urged both sides to “get on board”.
The bill would create a federal environment protection authority, charged with enforcing Australia’s environment regulations and increase penalties for breaches of the rules.
It would slash red tape, making it easier to get crucial housing, energy and infrastructure projects off the ground.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley wants the legislation to be split, so parliament can deal with the reforms to project approvals first.
“The coalition stands ready to achieve meaningful reform that protects the environment while removing unnecessary duplication and delay,” she and her environment spokeswoman Angie Bell wrote in a letter to Senator Watt on Sunday.
But Senator Watt said splitting the bill was a “silly” idea, arguing nature protections went hand-in-hand with faster approvals.
The Greens are pushing for stronger protections for natural sites in exchange for their support, including tougher restrictions on native forest logging and greater consideration of a project’s future carbon emissions during the approvals process.
“Our forests will remain being logged, trashed, bulldozed, and climate is not even factored into the minister’s decisions,” Greens leader Larissa Waters said of the proposed changes.
AAP
