Australian Environmental Reform Too Important to Rush
6/7/99
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Title: Australian Environmental Reform Too Important to Rush
Source: Australian Tropical Research Foundation
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: June 7, 1999
Byline: John Connor
Michael Kennedy
The Government should not try to squeeze its major rewrite of
Australia's environment laws into the over-crowded legislative
program before 30 June, said environment groups today.
"This 430-page Bill replaces five existing pieces of Commonwealth
legislation, the Senate Committee received over 630 submissions
raising many diverse and complex issues not dealt with in the final
report, and now the Government wants to rush the Bill through in the
midst of the GST and Telstra debates," said Shane Rattenbury,
Greenpeace Political Liaison Officer.
"Unacceptable aspects of this legislation include the proposed
bilateral agreements which give national responsibilities to the
states, the large number of Ministerial exemptions which create
loopholes and uncertainties, and the inadequate extent of matters
which trigger Commonwealth involvement in environmental impact
assessment," said Michael Kennedy, Director, Humane Society
International.
"The community expects that the Commonwealth should use its major
environmental powers which have been recognised over the years by a
series of High Court decisions," said John Connor, Campaigns
Director, Australian Conservation Foundation. "The legislation should
be a platform for leadership in environment protection, not a
collection of evasive trapdoors."
"This is the biggest rewrite of Commonwealth environmental laws for
25 years and the legislation has major problems which threaten
advances in environmental law over the last two decades," said John
Connor. "The Bill needs proper consideration, not a shabby rush."
"The proposed massive transfer of environmental responsibility from
the Commonwealth to the States has no basis in good environmental
management," said Nicola Davies, Director of the Conservation Council
of the South-East Region and Canberra. "The legislation is based on a
deal done between the States and Territories and the Commonwealth,
and not on what should be the appropriate division of environmental
roles and responsibilities."
"The Bill exempts Regional Forest Assessment areas from Commonwealth
environmental impact assessment, thereby excluding the major
reservoir of Australia's biodiversity from Commonwealth environmental
responsibility," said Virginia Young, National Spokesperson with The
Wilderness Society.
"The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Bill 1998
is misnamed - it neither protects the environment, nor does it
conserve biodiversity."
For further information: John Connor 03 9926 6736 Michael Kennedy 02
9973 1728