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SYDNEY, Tuesday 16 April 2024 — Greenpeace Australia Pacific has referred to as on the federal authorities to urgently again up the institution of the brand new environmental safety company, Surroundings Safety Australia (EPA), with the promised overhaul of Australia’s damaged nationwide nature legislation.
Surroundings Minister Tanya Plibersek at present introduced that the federal authorities will set up two new companies – the EPA and Environmental Info Australia – as a matter of precedence, however failed to offer clear timelines on the larger promise to ship a brand new and vastly improved nationwide nature legislation.
The federal authorities dedicated to doing so this time period in its Nature Constructive Plan.
Glenn Walker, Head of Nature at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, mentioned that within the face of a biodiversity and local weather disaster, there was no time to lose in delivering a full and complete package deal of reforms.
“Each single second, a local animal is killed from deforestation in Australia. Tens of hundreds of hectares of koala habitat is bulldozed with out environmental evaluation every year. Weak legal guidelines and authorities inaction have made Australia a world chief in deforestation and biodiversity destruction.
“The scenario is pressing — there’s merely no time to lose to save lots of our forests and wildlife from the brink of extinction.
“We welcome the institution of the brand new, correctly resourced and unbiased EPA and specifically the Minister’s dedication to sort out rampant unlawful deforestation. However the EPA won’t have the enamel it wants till a robust nationwide nature legislation additionally comes into place — forest destruction may solely be handled substantively with these legislative modifications.
“It’s also important that the EPA is given powers to evaluate and reject giant coal and gasoline tasks the place the local weather impacts on nature are assessed as important. Following the most well liked yr on file, it’s fully untenable that the present nature legislation fails to permit this — another excuse why it’s important that the federal government will get on with the job of introducing the brand new nature legislation into parliament as quickly as attainable.
“What the federal government has introduced at present is a bit like a pub with out beer — whereas the brand new establishments are welcome and vital elements of the reform wanted, the job is just completed when a robust and impressive nature legislation is in place and environmental destruction is stopped.”
The announcement comes following affirmation at present that the world is experiencing its fourth world coral bleaching occasion — the second within the final 10 years — with the Nice Barrier Reef presently impacted by extreme bleaching.
—ENDS—
Excessive res pictures and photographs of latest deforestation could be discovered right here and right here
Media contacts
Kimberley Bernard on 0407 581 404 or [email protected]
Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or [email protected]
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