Skip navigation

Detail is what will count in the Federal Government’s plan to overhaul environmental protection laws

profile image
Sue Higginson
NSW Greens MP
30 January 2023

The Federal Government has today formally responded to the Samuel Report, announcing a broad overhauling of our national environmental laws. The long overdue response includes the announcement of a new national Environmental Protection Agency that will have powers to reject development proposals on the biodiversity grounds. 

 

The Greens NSW spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson said:

 

“This is a welcome first step from the Federal Government in slowing down the extinction crisis. For too long we have been worsening the extinction crisis with no real measures in place to protect our rapidly declining native species and ecosystems. 

 

“The introduction of national standards and greater engagement with First Nations people is a very long overdue. The traffic light system that has been announced is an important approach which acknowledges that some things simply can not be harmed, but we need to see the settings. We also welcome the announcement of tightening of logging regulations, but that’s a pretty low bar as currently there is no Federal oversight of logging whatsoever. Today should have indicated that public native forest logging will be ruled out altogether. 

 

“The federal offset scheme that is set to allow developers to pay into a fund rather than requiring a genuine like for like offset is shaky ground when it comes to genuinely protecting and improving biodiversity. We have seen the results of this in NSW, with millions of dollars sitting in a fund and the biodiversity not being available to offset the destruction, pushing more species towards extinction and ecosystems to collapse. 

 

“If the Federal Government is going to take this approach they need to learn from the failure of the NSW scheme and establish strict rules that will improve environmental outcomes in real terms. 

 

“This is a crisis, we need bold action and we need it faster. I am glad to see this start from the Federal Government, but it sounds like any meaningful change will still be a way off. I am looking forward to seeing the detail as that is what really matters.” Ms Higginson said.

profile image
Sue Higginson
NSW Greens MP
30 January 2023
SHARE:

THE LATEST NEWS

Forest wars find new battleground in Shallow Crossing State Forest, South East NSW

6 March 2023 - Young Indigenous woman Takesa Frank has today met the day suspended 20m above the ground in a treesit cabled to logging machinery in a bid to halt logging operations in Shallow Crossing State Forest. In late 2019, the Currowan Fire tore through the area and just...

MEDIA RELEASE

Greens call for right to protest to be enshrined in law ahead of Cherish Kuehlmann bail hearing

1 March 2023 - UNSW educator Cherish Kuehlmann will appear in court today to challenge bail conditions set after she was arrested in the middle of the night by NSW Police last week. Ms Kuehlmann was charged with “aggravated trespass” under section 4B Inclosed Lands Protection Act 1901 - an amendment...

MEDIA RELEASE

Greens respond to failures of NSW Government to reduce Aboriginal over-representation in out of home care

1 March 2023 - The Ombudsman’s report Aboriginal Outcomes Strategy focus area 2 (out-of-home care) – were the targets achieved? released yesterday reveals that the Department of Communities and Justice failed to reduce Aboriginal representation in out of home care and did not achieve any of its four targets set out...

MEDIA RELEASE

Greens call for the NSW Government to move faster on expanding the protected area network to reach 30% of land and water by 2030

1 March 2023 - NSW must move faster on protecting land and water within an interconnected actively managed protected area network across at least 30% of the state by 2030. Just over 10% of the land area in NSW is currently included in the protected area network and we have the...


CAMPAIGNS