The Environment Minister is in denial about the extinction crisis and plans to use the review of Australia’s environment laws to water them down in favour of big miners and developers, the Greens say.

“The current laws are not working to protect our animals or the environment. This Review should be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix them,” Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Greens have backed today’s call by more than 240 conservation scientists for stronger environment laws and for the broken system which is failing to prevent the extinction crisis to be fixed.

“The Greens will fight for stronger laws to protect the environment and save our endangered animals,” Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Federal Government has today refused to rule out the privatisation of National Parks for high-end resorts, again putting the interests of their rich mates ahead of everyday Australians and the environment, the Greens say.

“Today I called on the Government to honour the century old Australian ethos that National Parks should be for the people and not for private high end resorts which exclude ordinary Australians and devalue prime park qualities, and they refused,” Greens spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Senate has today passed a Greens’ motion calling on the Federal Government to rule out giving any public funding to dam and water infrastructure projects that circumvent environmental assessment and don’t abide by proper environmental protections.

The motion moved by Greens Spokesperson for Water and the Environment, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, was in response to the NSW Government’s plans to water down environmental rules to fast-track approvals for new dams and pipelines.

The report in Guardian Australia today that the NSW Government is considering laws to stop courts and planners blocking coalmines on climate grounds shows why our federal environment laws need fixing, the Greens say.

“Australia’s federal environmental laws are out of date and not fit for purpose, especially when we are in the midst of a climate crisis,” Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Federal Water Minister David Littleproud is completely out of touch if he believes his claims on ABC Radio this morning that the only problem with the Murray Darling Basin is a lack of water due to drought, the Greens say.

Greens Murray Darling Basin spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the Minister is shirking responsibility by claiming that unless it rains, there’s no water to share.

The Morrison Government will be responsible for the death of the Great Barrier Reef unless it takes urgent action on climate change, the Greens say.

"Today's report is a Code Red on the survival of the Great Barrier Reef," Greens Environment spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said.

"Today's report confirms that things are getting much worse for the Great Barrier Reef under the Morrison government. We must have immediate and comprehensive climate action if we are to save it.

The Federal Government must accept the science pointing to the need for drastic emissions reduction to protect the Great Barrier Reef and actually take the necessary action instead of wasting time trying to influence UNESCO’s climate change policy, the Greens say.

“This looks a lot like history repeating itself when it comes to the in-danger listing of the Reef by the World Heritage Committee,” Greens Environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

If the NSW Government was serious about preventing “Fish Armageddon” this summer, it would secure water supply for native fish so they don’t need rescuing in the first place, Greens water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“The NSW Government’s refusal to accept the findings of the Natural Resources Commission is outrageous. The findings show over-allocation of water in favour of up-stream corporate irrigators pushed the river system into severe drought three years earlier than it would have, leading to the fish kills in the Menindee Lakes and Darling River.

South Australia will continue to face earlier and earlier starts to the fire season unless the Prime Minister steps up and takes urgent action to tackle the climate crisis, Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Responding to the Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook released today, which forecasts an active fire season across Australia and in particular on Kangaroo Island and Eyre Peninsula, Senator Hanson-Young said the PM’s lack of climate change policy is putting SA at risk of catastrophic fires not that dissimilar to those burning in the Amazon.