The Australian Greens have called on the Senate, and state and territory governments, to reject the Morrison Government’s flawed environmental law reforms following the release of a highly-critical Senate Inquiry Report today. 

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“The Morrison Government is trying to weaken environment protection laws and hand approval powers for mines and big developments to the states rather than the Commonwealth.

“It is quite clear from the Senate Inquiry Report released today into this plan must be stopped. 

In response to the NSW Government's new koala state environmental planning policy, Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“Letting the National Party dictate koala protection policy is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. 

“The Berejiklian Government’s capitulation to the Nationals will drive koalas closer to extinction. Koalas are already on track to be extinct in NSW by 2050. 

“Land clearing, degradation and fragmentation is the greatest threat to koalas. It must be stopped.

The Morrison Government’s latest attempt to weaken Australia’s environmental laws completely ignores their own expert’s recommendations and will lock in the demise of our wildlife and iconic natural places, the Greens say.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“This move by the Morrison Government is a death sentence for Australia’s koalas and wildlife. 

“The Morrison Government has blatantly ignored their own expert’s recommendations and is instead taking a chainsaw to environmental protections.

The Morrison Government’s leaked environmental standards make a mockery of the yearlong review into environment laws by Professor Graeme Samuel and condemn Australia’s environment to more destruction, the Greens say.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“This leaked document shows the Morrison Government’s plan is for more pollution and destruction of our environment and a death sentence for Australia’s koalas and wildlife. 

The Greens are calling on the Morrison Government to implement stronger environment laws before we lose our precious nature and wildlife for good, after the release today of a scathing major review.  

Responding to the release of the final report from the once-in-ten-year review of Australia’s environment laws led by Professor Graeme Samuel, Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

The Greens have asked the Auditor-General to investigate the approval of the Yeelirrie uranium mine in Western Australia by former federal environment minister Melissa Price, after a damning ABC report this week showed a deeply flawed approval process.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young wrote to the Auditor-General Grant Hehir on Thursday and requested his office consider the matter (letter attached).

The Australian Greens have warned that the government’s climate inaction is pouring fuel on fires incinerating our country’s iconic animals, landscapes, and flora, amid news that tens of thousands of koalas died during last season’s bushfires, and as an uncontrolled bushfire tears through an untouched world heritage rainforest. 

Greens Environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will this week move a ‘Save the Koala Bill’ to protect the habitat of Australia’s most iconic tree-hugger, in a bid to stave off extinction.

The Australian Greens responded to the International Union for Conservation of Nature declaring climate change the top threat to natural World Heritage sites, including the Great Barrier Reef, which has been assessed as having a “critical” outlook for the first time:

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“Where is the Environment Minister? At this rate our natural World Heritage Sites will soon be gone and with them biodiversity and wildlife and our tourism industry. This will be the Morrison Government’s legacy.

The Morrison Government and One Nation have teamed up to vote against a moratorium on the clearing of koala habitat in the Senate today.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who moved the motion for the moratorium said:

“The Morrison Government and One Nation have disgracefully voted against protecting the koala today.  

“If habitat loss does not stop, koalas will soon be extinct.

“But clearly the profits of the Morrison Government’s mining and developer mates are more important than saving our national treasure.

The Morrison Government’s new environment-wrecking laws do not have enough support to pass the parliament the Senate Inquiry report into the legislation released this afternoon shows.

The Greens, Labor and crossbench senators Patrick, Lambie and Griff all declared their opposition to the Bill leaving just the Morrison Government and One Nation in support.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“The Morrison Government’s environment-wrecking laws are dead in the water.