The Greens have called on the Albanese Government to immediately halt the use of beleaguered environmental offsets when greenlighting new pollution and habitat destruction. The call comes following shocking reports today of widespread integrity issues regarding the use of nature offsets.
Experts and the Greens have long sounded the alarm over dodgy environmental "offsets" being used to expand environmental destruction, including the logging of native forests, and the expansion of new coal and gas pollution.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is Greens Spokesperson for the Environment and Manager of Business in the Senate:
"The Minister should announce an immediate halt to the use of offsets in approvals for any new and soon to be approved projects. Until the Government fixes Australia's broken environment laws, the use of offsets should be banned," said Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
"Australia's weak environment laws have created a sick system of offset greenwashing and destruction.
"We need to stop bogus offsets being used by big corporations to destroy nature, including the native forest logging of koala habitat, and the expansion of coal and gas pollution.
"If the Albanese Government wants to protect the environment it's quite simple: stop approving destruction, particularly native forest logging, and more coal and gas.
"We need strong laws that stop destruction in the first place, not a rebranded department division with no teeth.
"Australians expect the Government should already be making sure developers are following the law and that dodgy offsets should be stamped out by the Department. A weak EPA with no teeth, no new powers, and no new law to enforce will be incapable of fixing this broken system."
Further background:
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Labor caved-in to the mining, logging and big business lobby breaking it's promise to fix Australia's broken environment laws
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There is no timeline or detail on when Labor will undertake comprehensive environmental law reform to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act in line with recommendations from the Samuel Review.
