Proposed environmental law reforms getting close but still fall short

The President of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC, is calling on the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator the Hon Murray Watt, to inform his decisions with science when it comes to protecting Australia’s precious environment and biodiversity.

“The environmental law reform Bills as they currently stand will not deliver the essential reforms to the EPBC Act to protect our environment,” Professor Jagadish said.

The Bills must be bolstered to address:

• the lack of strong, legislated mechanisms to embed scientific advice into decision-making
• broad ministerial discretion and the vague ‘national interest’ exemption that risks short-term agendas taking priority over protecting our environment
• damaging exemptions including forestry, cumulative land clearing and continuous use pathways
• the proposed biodiversity offset system that risks introducing a pathway for proponents to ‘pay to destroy’ without ensuring gains equivalent to losses, undermining the integrity of matters of national environmental significance.

“Our environment and biodiversity are changing at a rapid rate, and urgent action is needed to halt this decline,” Professor Jagadish said.

“It would be a stain on the Parliament of Australia if these environmental law reform Bills are allowed to pass in their current form.

“The Bills must be strengthened to ensure decision-making is informed by robust scientific evidence and can deliver the environmental improvements this reform seeks to achieve.

“The Academy recognises positive elements in the Bills, such as the concept of ‘net gain’ if properly defined and enforced; the ability of the Minister of Environment to make consistent National Environmental Standards; and the establishment of the National Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Information Australia,” Professor Jagadish said.