In response to the news that business and mining lobby groups are trying to blow up the passage of legislation to create a national environment protection agency, the Australian Conservation Foundation's CEO Kelly O'Shanassy said:
"It would be completely unacceptable if vested interests were able to snap their fingers and get politicians to do their bidding.
"Without an independent environment protection agency - and with little progress towards the full reform of Australia's unfit-for-purpose nature law - more and more unique Australian animals and plants will go extinct. It's that simple.
"An independent EPA is desperately needed to take the influence of vested interests out of decision making.
"The scare campaign run by the resources industry and peak business groups shows how opposed these sectors are to genuinely independent administration of national nature laws.
"Business and mining groups should not oppose National Environmental Standards - which would set the rules that define which species and ecosystems need to be protected - because they would give business the certainty it always says it needs.
"Since Australia's nature law took effect 25 years ago, more than seven million hectares of threatened species habitat - an area as big as the entire state of Tasmania - has been destroyed.
"Nature is crying out for thorough reform of Australia's national nature protection laws.
"We urge our elected representatives to heed nature's cry."
