The Victorian Greens are pushing for the independent expert report into Victoria's wildlife laws to finally be released as Labor has failed to respond for over three years.
The Victorian Greens say that Victoria's environmental laws are fundamentally broken and that Labor's inaction is having devastating consequences for our wildlife and ecosystems.
It follows recent reports that developers have ripped up critical habitat in the western grasslands, where in recent years over 60 hectares have been destroyed because the penalties are insufficient in comparison to the profits developers can make.
The Victorian Greens are demanding the release of the review's report, saying that it's never been more urgent with ecosystems and wildlife under threat of extinction.
The independent review was commissioned following the poisoning of hundreds of protected wedge-tail eagles in East Gippsland in 2018 where there were little repercussions.
The review was led by an expert panel and investigated Victoria's Wildlife Act which has not been updated in more than fifty years.
Despite the panel delivering their final report in December 2021, the Victorian Labor Government has failed to respond to the report or even make it public.
This week the Victorian Greens will move a motion in the Upper House demanding that Labor finally release the report.
As stated by the Acting Leader of the Victorian Greens, Dr Sarah Mansfield:
"Our environmental laws are fundamentally broken and Labor's inaction risks complete ecosystems and endangered species going extinct.
"Labor has completely buried this report for over three years because they don't like what it's going to say.
"The destruction of our western grasslands and the killing of protected wedge-tail eagles is a total scandal. It should never have happened and the public deserves to know what the experts say about how we can stop it from happening again."
