Labor will force developers to protect wildlife – but it needs the Coalition’s help
“By legislating to ensure that environmental offsets provide a net gain, we will see a measurable improvement in the local environment rather than a continued decline,” he said.
Watt’s courting of the Liberals has been a strong move by project advocates to speed up the slow evaluation process. But his new determination to impose tough conditions to ensure net environmental gains could drive a wedge between the Coalition, which is in disarray after a landslide loss in the May election.
His stricter balancing regime would create extra hurdles for industries whose representatives have hitherto supported Watt’s reforms. This may also encourage some Liberals to reject Watt’s reform.
Ley declared that the Coalition should return to the midpoint of the political landscape, but Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa switched from the National Party to the Liberals, Liberal MP Andrew Hastie left the front bench and Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce abandoned the National Party over climate policy.
The EPBC Act was created by the Howard government in 1999 and successive governments since then have attempted to reform the act, but each has failed in part due to opposition from the industry.
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Reforms are urgently needed as Australia has one of the worst records for wildlife loss.
The Albanian government also faces pressure from the mining, real estate development and renewable energy sector; The industry needs to roll out wind and solar power on a large scale to help meet Australia’s climate targets, but has complained of project delays of up to several years under the EPBC Act.
Watt acknowledged the challenge of the policy, saying his reforms would “deliver faster approvals for more homes and the provision of renewable energy”.
“These changes were the key recommendations of the review Graeme Samuel presented nearly five years ago.
Ley commissioned the 2020 Samuel review of the EPBC Act, which found a major overhaul of environmental law was urgently needed to prevent the ongoing destruction of local wildlife.
But MPs from Ley’s junior Coalition partner, the Nationals, are not expected to approve any move to support environmental laws, saying the mining sector would be restricted and farmers would be unfairly targeted for land management such as tree clearing.
The government has promised to create a national environmental watchdog in 2022 to evaluate projects and enforce regulations and has pledged to introduce broad reforms to nature conservation laws, but has failed to deliver on either.
Former environment minister Tanya Plibersek struck a deal with the Greens to pass the Environmental Protection Bill in the Senate in 2024; but this legislation was defeated by the Albanians after strong lobbying by the mining industry and Western Australian Premier Roger Cook against the bill.
Watt will need support from the Greens to implement his reforms unless the Liberals support him. The gas giant faces a challenge in winning the support of its voters after Woodside approved an extension of its North West Shelf project until 2070, overruling warnings from climate activists and traditional owners that it could damage rock art and produce huge greenhouse gas emissions.
