- Senate inquiry report provided recommendations to strengthen legislation
- Environment Protection Australia needs independence, integrity & accountability
- Nature Positive laws must consider climate impacts
- Current nature laws are failing oceans, endangered species, Great Barrier Reef
The Australian Marine Conservation Society has urged the Australian Government to work with the Greens and Senate crossbenchers to improve the Nature Positive legislation following the publication of the Senate Committee report into the legislation.
AMCS Fisheries and Threatened Species Campaign Manager Alexia Wellbelove said: "The Senate committee report contained recommendations to improve the Nature Positive legislation, including from crossbench Senators. This provides a clear pathway to enable the government to progress reforms that nature and our oceans need.
"We urge the government to work with the crossbench senators to strengthen and pass critical laws to protect and restore nature and our oceans. These laws are an important step forwards in the reform of national nature laws that will establish two new institutions of Environment Protection Australia and Environment Information Australia.
"Species such as the Maugean skate, with just 40-120 breeding adults left in their only habitat. have no time to waste - it is essential that these reforms progress urgently."
The legislation to establish Environment Protection Australia and a new environmental data division, Environment Information Australia, has been billed as Stage 2 of the government's Nature Positive reforms. "Nature positive" is the concept of stopping and reversing the loss of species and ecosystems to enable their repair and regeneration.
"The EPA needs independence, integrity and accountability to properly protect nature," Ms Wellbelove said. "It must be independent from the minister and instead report to an independent board or parliamentary committee.
"We are pleased to see the Senate report acknowledge the need to consult further on the definition of 'nature positive' in the bill to establish Environment Information Australia. It is essential this is improved to define a baseline year to measure the progress towards halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 and a full recovery by 2050.
"Now is the time for the Albanese government to negotiate in good faith to ensure the essential improvements to the legislation are made that meet its commitment to no new extinctions, such as taking climate change into account in decision making and rejecting unacceptable impacts."
