A koala census won’t save our national treasure and a moratorium on the clearing of critical habitat is still urgently needed, the Greens say.

Responding to the Environment Minister’s announcement today of a koala census to identify key habitat, Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“A koala census won’t save our national treasure from the Morrison Government.

The Greens have slammed the two-week Senate Inquiry into major environment law reforms labelling it a ‘sham’ and are calling on the crossbench to refuse to pass the bill this year. 

The Greens are also urging the Environment Minister to immediately release the final report into the 10-year-review of Australia’s environment laws, which was handed to her by Professor Graeme Samuel on October 31.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

The Greens have announced they’ll move for a moratorium on koala habitat clearing to save the national treasure from extinction.

The legislative move would block decisions by Environment Minister Ley like the approval yesterday of a quarry at Pt Stephens which will destroy 52ha of critical habitat for the endangered species. 

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“Koalas are a national treasure and yet we have an Environment Minister not just failing to save them but signing their death warrant.

The Prime Minister picked a dud when he put BHP’s Olympic Dam on his list of 15 major projects for fast-tracking through Australia’s environmental laws, the Greens say, after the company again abandoned its expansion plans.

Greens Senator for South Australia and Spokesperson for the Environment Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“The Prime Minister made a big fanfare over choosing Olympic Dam as one of his pet Covid recovery projects.

“He picked a dud.

“Again, more about the press conference, not so much the substance.

Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley has serious questions to answer about the influence mining giant Rio Tinto has had on the Morrison Government’s proposed environmental law reforms, the Greens say. 

The Morrison Government’s announcement today of $61.7m to ‘boost local tourism and preserve our environment’ is a drop in the ocean of what’s needed for a green recovery, the Greens say.

New environment laws introduced by the Morrison Government today are carbon copy of Tony Abbott’s 2014 attack, the Greens say.

Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“Our environment is in crisis and the only plan the PM and Environment Minister can come up with is to copy climate-denier Tony Abbott’s homework.

“These new laws take a chainsaw to environmental protections. They will make it easier for mining companies and big developers to get approval for projects that will destroy the environment and harm our native animals.

The Greens will tomorrow move to block the Morrison Government from rushing changes to environment laws through the Senate, with the so-called fast-track laws being introduced into the Parliament in the morning.

Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“Tomorrow the Morrison Government is bringing in changes that will weaken our environment laws.

“This will make it easier for big miners and developers to get approval and put our environment and wildlife at risk.

The Greens have called on the Morrison Government to rule out lifting a ban on the importation of exotic parrot species into Australia.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“In the middle of a global pandemic caused by a zoonotic disease, the Federal Government should be banning the trade of wildlife, not making it easier.

“The science is well established on the link between wildlife consumption and the transfer of zoonotic diseases to humans.

With a revised tally of killed or displaced wildlife from the summer’s bushfires coming in at three times initial estimates, it’s clear now is not the time to rush through legislation that will weaken environmental protections, the Greens say.

Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said with 3 billion native animals killed or displaced as a result of the catastrophic fires, and Australia already holding the dishonour of worst mammalian extinction rate in the world, our wildlife was in crisis and needed urgent protection.