In a significant political development, the Australian Coalition has presented the Labor government with a clear path to pass its rewritten environmental laws during parliament's final sitting week of the year. Opposition leader Sussan Ley has declared her party will support the legislation if Anthony Albanese's administration agrees to what she describes as 'sensible amendments' that would water down certain environmental protections.
The Coalition's Seven Key Demands
The opposition has outlined seven specific areas of concern within Labour's proposed Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act overhaul. Their requested changes include limiting the powers of Labour's proposed environment protection agency (EPA) and removing requirements for large projects to disclose their projected emissions upfront.
Other significant demands involve reducing what the Coalition considers 'excessive' financial penalties for breaches of nature laws and restricting the use of 'stop-work' orders that could halt development projects. The opposition also seeks modifications to two key environmental provisions: the definition of 'unacceptable impact' on the environment and the 'net gain' test designed to ensure developers deliver an overall environmental benefit.
Political Reactions and Environmental Concerns
Environment Minister Murray Watt has confirmed his openness to striking a deal with either the Coalition or the Greens to ensure the legislation passes before parliament adjourns next Thursday. However, Greens leader Larissa Waters has issued a strong warning, stating that any agreement with the Coalition would reveal Labour's true priorities.
'If the Labor government wants to do a deal with the climate denying, anti-science dinosaurs in the Liberal party that tells you everything that you need to know about what the government's motivations are,' Waters told ABC's Afternoon Briefing. 'It's not the environment. It's lining the pockets of big corporates.'
Environmental Lawyers Sound Alarm
The Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) has expressed serious concerns about the proposed legislation, even in its current form. Appearing before a senate committee examining the bills, EDO's deputy director of policy and law reform Rachel Walmsley warned that the legislation risks exacerbating the failings of the current environmental laws.
Walmsley presented parliament with three options: maintain the status quo with the existing failed EPBC Act, pass the current bills potentially weakened further at industry's 'behest,' or strengthen the legislation to genuinely protect nature. She emphatically stated that 'it has to be option three' for meaningful environmental outcomes.
The political manoeuvring sets the stage for a crucial final parliamentary sitting week, with the government facing pressure from both business interests demanding streamlined environmental approvals and environmental groups advocating for stronger nature protections.
