The federal government introduced legislation to establish a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday, but is facing criticism from environmental organisations who say it needs to be accompanied by environmental law reform.
The government has described the EPA as a “tough cop on the beat” but environmental groups have said it will be ineffective without urgent reform to Australia’s outdated environmental laws, specifically the Howard-era Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
Last month, Plibersek confirmed that the government’s promise to reform the nation’s environmental laws had been put on hold. It is now not clear whether the reform will be delivered in this term of government.
A bill for the EPA, which will act as a national watchdog on environmental laws, has now been introduced to the House of Representatives, alongside a bill for the Environment Information Australia, which will provide environmental data to the public. The EPA will be able to issue ‘stop-work’ orders to prevent environmental damage and audit businesses, with the ability to issue fines of up to $780 million.
“Establishing the new Environment Protection Agency without fixing our broken national environment law is like planting seeds in barren soil – a waste of time,” Dr Jennifer Rayner, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the Climate Council said on Wednesday.
“The EPA will be administering the same broken law that has waved through at least 740 fossil fuel projects to date; the same law that has overseen the clearing of millions of hectares of precious habitat. If our national environment law isn’t fixed, we’ll just see the same bad decisions announced on a different letterhead.”
Independent Senator David Pocock said he agreed with Rayner, writing on X: “without first fixing our broken environmental laws, the new EPA will just be bureaucracy for bureaucracy’s sake with no added protection for nature”.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has been heavily critical of the government’s approach and said it was a “terrible day for nature”.
“What’s been put on the table won’t save our wildlife, won’t stop native forest logging and won’t stop the expansion of climate wrecking coal and gas mines,” Hanson-Young said.
“The reason mining corporations are crowing and environment groups are furious today is because Labor has caved-in to the logging and mining lobby who want faster and easier approvals for their destructive projects. Our environment will pay the price.
“Under Australia’s environment laws 740 fossil fuel projects have been approved and millions of hectares of threatened species habitat has been destroyed. Keeping our current laws is not environmental protection, it’s an environmental sell-out to polluters.”
A joint statement from Lock the Gate Alliance, 350.org and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition also expressed disappointment in the lack of action on environmental protection laws.
“Australia’s environment laws are not fit for purpose, and the new EPA will be powerless to address the massive damage that greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel projects are inflicting,” said Carmel Flint, Lock the Gate Alliance National Coordinator.
“The failure to act now means that it’s business as usual for 59 coal and gas expansions that are currently being assessed under national environment laws.”
Grace Vegesana, a spokesperson for the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, said most of the organisation’s members were not even born when Australia’s current environmental laws were drafted.
“Ironically, it’s our generation that is going to have to clean up the mess that the fossil fuel-driven climate crisis already has in store for us,” Vegesana said.
“This EPA Bill is yet another distraction the Albanese Government is using to delay real action on climate change.”
Meanwhile, 350.org CEO Lucy Manne said it’s “really appalling” that the government has “walked away” from the major environment reforms it promised.
“Voters will remember this broken promise at the next election. The Albanese Government’s reputation on climate and environment is in tatters.”