Environmental law amendment a set-back
12 Oct 2006
WWF is calling on the Australian Government to provide evidence that justifies the disenfranchising of the Australian community in their attempts to uphold the objectives of the premier Federal environmental law, the EPBC Act.
The introduction of the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill into Federal Parliament today makes it more difficult for individuals and organisations to help ensure Australia's main environmental law is properly enforced.
The amendments will make it more financially risky for individuals and organisations that seek to take out an injunction through the Federal Courts, and worryingly a number of ministerial decisions will no longer be able to be challenged.
Such a public led injunction was used to stop thousands of flying foxes being electrocuted in 2001, which if continued would have seriously degraded the World Heritage values of the Wet Tropics.
"The Federal Court agreed with the case brought by a concerned scientist over the electrocution of flying foxes in 2001," said Andreas Glanznig, WWF-Australia's Senior Policy Adviser.
"This was an example of how these third party standing rights have been used very judiciously by individuals and organisations, and is a clear case of democracy in action."
Of further concern is the proposed stream-lining of the public listing of threatened species and ecosystems, which will now be assessed only once a year.
"There is already a massive backlog of nominations for listing, and this change is likely to further prolong the time it takes for a species to be recognised as threatened with extinction, leaving it to decline in the interim," Mr Glanznig said.
Mr Glanznig said the Amendment Bill had also missed a significant opportunity to include new greenhouse gas and water triggers that will ensure all projects that result in significant amounts of new greenhouse gas emissions or deplete environmental flows of water are properly assessed and controlled.
"On the other hand, the Amendment Bill does include positive changes that strengthen compliance and offence provisions," Mr Glanznig said.
"It is a pity that these positive changes have been over-shadowed by changes that make public accountability and access to Australia's main environment law more difficult."
Find out more
Charlie Stevens, Press Officer, WWF-Australia
Phone: 02 8202 1274
Mobile: 0424 649 689
Email: cstevens@wwf.org.au
Andreas Glanznig, Senior Policy Adviser, WWF-Australia
Phone: 02 8202 1228
Mobile: 0417 020 174
