Greenpeace have responded to the news the government will be re-introducing the environmental protection laws it shelved after getting a deal with the Greens that upset the WA government and resource companies.

Glenn Walker, Head of Nature Program at Greenpeace Australia Pacific said: 

These reforms cannot merely be a big rubber stamp for the big end of town. They need to genuinely protect and restore nature in Australia for decades to come. The government cannot lose sight of what these laws were meant to do, which is to protect nature.”

Greenpeace Australia Pacific wants:

  1. Stronger upfront nature protection to guide better decisions on big projects, including National Environmental Standards.
  2. An independent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce the laws and make decisions about controversial projects at arm’s length from politics.
  3. Closing deforestation loopholes that allow for harmful industries to carry out mass bulldozing across Australia.
  4. Consideration of the climate impacts on nature from coal and gas mines when assessing projects for approvals.