"A critical component of reform must be to bring a rapid halt to native forest logging. It is costing the taxpayer 100s of millions of dollars a year in financial subsidies and at the same time making forests significantly more flammable – which higher severity wildfires in turn having marked negative impacts on a wide range of species. There are also well documented negative effects on a range of threatened ecological communities, with logging underpinning elevated risks of ecosystem collapse.

Logging also contributes millions of tonnes of carbon emissions to the atmosphere every year – the equivalent of 1.1 million cars worth of emissions from Tasmania alone annually. The continuation of native forest logging in Australia can no longer be justified on financial, economic, environmental or social grounds and the EPBC Act provides an appropriate trigger to ensure a rapid transition to a plantation-only industry."

"The Albanese government must deliver a strong and well resourced environmental law reform package in order to protect the places and wildlife Australians know and love dearly. For far too long, both major political parties have played the blame game, and failed to act on expert scientific advice and increasingly urgent warnings, and as a result we are now world leaders in species extinctions and ecosystems are collapsing across the continent. These environmental impacts have substantial negative impacts on the economy and social and cultural values.

New environment laws must address all key threats, including climate change, habitat destruction, invasive species and pollution. Laws must include stringent national environmental standards and guide clear objectives, such as measurable improvements and increases in threatened species populations and ecological communities and areas of key habitat. It is essential that development proposals are assessed by an independent umpire that operates at arms length from government, and this same umpire must be well resourced to ensure they can rigorously assess project compliance with approved conditions and national environmental standards. It is vitally important First Nations’ cultural values and engagement is central to all decision making.

The reform of Australia’s nature laws is a tremendous opportunity to protect and recover what is truly special, unique, and the envy of many around the world. Biodiversity Council surveys show that the vast majority of Australians care deeply for the environment and want far greater action and investment to ensure its protection. The Albanese government must not squander their chance, they must demonstrate global conservation leadership.”

"The difficulties the Labor government is facing in seeking passage of its Environmental Protection Reform Bill reflect a deeper emerging problem. Labor’s preference has always been to seek agreement with the LNP on most issues, rather than negotiating with the Greens. This reflects both a belief that bipartisan reforms are more durable and a fierce partisan opposition to the Greens, correctly seen as a rival for the votes of Labor’s traditional supporters.  

But as the conservative parties have shifted further to the right, particularly on environmental issues, any legislation passed with LNP support is likely to make things worse rather than better. Sooner or later Labor will have to negotiate with the Greens or give up entirely on environmental issues. In this context, Minister Madeleine King’s suggestion that the legislation is essential to meet demands made by President Trump is unlikely to be helpful."

"It would appear that, while there are emissions disclosure obligations on corporate proponents in the proposed reform, there remains no climate trigger in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. This would seem to be insufficient to meet the requirements of the recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion, which points to the need for states to do a full assessment of corporate projects on a state’s territory that release emissions.

In June of this year, the ICJ outlined that countries could be held internationally liable for a failure to appropriately assess climate harms when assessing and approving projects. To meet Australia's international legal obligations, reform to Australia’s environmental laws should include adequate regulation and assessment of all fossil fuel-emitting activities at the national and subnational levels, including consideration of climate harm and adaptation measures."

"Legislation that says it is to protect the environment but doesn’t address coal, oil and gas is like legislation that says it protects people from smoking but doesn't address tobacco."