Greens federal candidate Mandy Nolan says the push to end native forest logging is back on the agenda in federal parliament, after emails released last week under freedom of information laws show Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek described a deal late last year to set up a federal Environment Protection Agency (EPA) as ‘critical’ before being overturned by PM Anthony Albanese.
Heavily redacted documents, released in The Guardian, confirm there was a written agreement between the Greens, the independents and Plibersek which would toughen environmental laws.
The next day, PM Albanese abandoned it, presumably from the pressure of mining interests and the logging industry.
Ms Nolan welcomed the release of the emails and said, ‘These revelations demonstrate how the Greens can work effectively with Labor’.
‘A minority Labor government is looking increasingly likely, and if elected, I look forward to working with Labor to protect our precious forests, and boost jobs in the eco-tourism industry which will flow from the creation of new national parks.’
A recent opinion poll specific to Richmond, found 72 per cent of voters want to see an end to native forest logging, with the figure even higher at 82 per cent among prospective Labor voters.
New EPA supported
The Echo asked local Labor MP, Justine Elliot, whether she also supports an end native forest logging.
She did not answer the question, but replied, ‘The Albanese Labor government is doing more than ever to protect our country’s natural treasures and iconic native plants and animals’.
‘We’re reforming Australia’s national environment laws because we know they don’t protect our environment, and they don’t work for business.
‘As part of that reform, native forest logging will be regulated by national environment laws for the first time ever. There is legislation before the Senate right now, which establishes a national independent environment protection agency with strong powers and penalties – including for cracking down on illegal land clearing.
‘It will also be able to issue “stop-work” orders to prevent serious environmental damage and proactively audit business to ensure they’re doing the right thing.
‘Disappointingly, the extreme Greens Party and Peter Dutton’s Liberals and Nationals don’t support a tough new environment watchdog like the EPA with strong new powers and penalties to better protect nature.’
Reforming EPBC Act
While the federal government has described the new EPA as a ‘tough cop on the beat’, environmental groups say it will be ineffective without urgent reform to Australia’s outdated environmental laws, specifically the Howard-era Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC).
In May last year, Lock the Gate Alliance, 350.org and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition released a joint statement expressing disappointment in the lack of action on environmental protection laws.
‘Australia’s environment laws are not fit-for-purpose, and the new EPA will be powerless to address the massive damage that greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel projects are inflicting,’ said Carmel Flint, Lock the Gate Alliance National Coordinator.
‘The failure to act now means that it’s business as usual for 59 coal and gas expansions that are currently being assessed.’
♦ Attempts to contact Nationals candidate, Kimberly Hone, by the The Echo, were unsuccessful at the time.
Ms Hone supplied her comment after deadline:
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
