Have your say: A once in a decade opportunity to protect nature | Have your say on national environmental laws

Have your say: A once in a decade opportunity to protect nature

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Will you have your say and make sure the committee reviewing the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) hears us loud and clear that we want stronger, not weaker laws to protect our air, water and wildlife?

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Dear Committee,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide a submission to the independent review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Australia is the midst of a pollution and extinction crisis and this summer’s catastrophic fires, saw many lose their homes and lives, and an estimated one billion of our wildlife dead. We saw what the future looks like in our country without urgent action.

Strong environmental laws are critical for the ongoing protection and restoration of Australia’s environment. They are what protect our precious water, land, native species and air from overuse, overdevelopment and pollution.

Currently, the EPBC Act is not providing anywhere near adequate protection of Australia’s environment, and is not able to cope with increased challenges we face with species extinction and climate extinction.

The review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act should take into consideration the following:

The Act should be improved to make sure it can deliver a healthy and resilient environment, reverse the extinction trend and reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions – factoring climate change into decision-making.

The Act must protect our native forests and vegetation. It must reduce the amount of discretion that decision-makers have and instead require decisions that protect our land, water, air and native species.

The Act should be expanded to include power to make a binding national standards for air, water and plastic pollutions; to have a greenhouse gas trigger, to guard against invasive species, and to prevent land clearing.

There should be increased legal recognition of indigenous knowledge and rights in the Act, and requirements for the government to seek indigenous involvement in decision-making.

The act should be administered by trusted and independent institutions – a National EPA and a National Environment Commission to set evidence-based standards and targets, assess the impacts of projects and enforce the law.

There should be a central role for communities in decision making, including merits review of government decisions, rights to citizen enforcement of breaches, citizen suits when government is failing to fulfil its duties under the Act, and protection from costs orders for public interest cases.

With a new generation of environment laws and independent organisations to govern them, the places and wildlife we love can thrive.

Thank you for considering my submission.

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