Following the Prime Minister’s dumping of nature protection laws this week, federal Greens candidate Mandy Nolan says the voters of Richmond deserve better.
Mandy Nolan needs a 1.8 per cent swing to win Richmond and if elected to the next parliament she says she will work with Labor and independents to revive much needed environment protections.
On Saturday, following renewed pressure from Western Australian mining interests, the Prime Minister confirmed that bills for the new laws would not be passed before the next election, breaking an election commitment made before the 2022 election.
The move clearly took many in his own party by surprise. As recently as last week, the Labor member for Richmond Justine Elliot, who’s held the seat for 20 years, had written on social media that the environment bills would be back in the Senate this week.
Proposed laws for a new Environment Protection Agency, now dumped by Labor, were developed in response to mountains of evidence about Australia’s deteriorating environment and growing numbers of species at risk of extinction, including the koala, greater glider and eastern quoll.
In direct rejection of the scientific evidence, Peter Dutton made his view clear at a mining conference last year when he said, ‘Nobody… could argue that we have inadequate environmental protections.’
Strong environmental outcomes
Greens candidate for Richmond Mandy Nolan said, ‘Nearly 2 million people voted for the Greens last election because they wanted to see better environmental outcomes from our parliament. They want to see us work with Labor to achieve strong environmental laws and put an end native forest logging.
‘We were working with a more than willing Labor Environment Minister to achieve some of the real outcomes for the environment that campaigners have been begging for, for years, but she was sadly undermined by her own leader.
‘If Labor can throw the environment under the bus and still win seats like Richmond, it sends a clear message that they don’t have to take real action on the environment,’ said Ms Nolan.
‘We know that more than 70 per cent of voters in this Northern Rivers seat of Richmond want to see an end to native forest logging. A vote for the Greens in Richmond will keep Dutton out and help us push Labor to do much better on the issues our community cares so much about.
‘Voting Green this election and putting more Greens MPs like me in parliament will be a vote for our forests and a vote for our koalas,’ she said.
‘Only last week, emails released under Freedom of Information revealed Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek thanking the Greens for their “constructive approach” to working with Labor for a deal on the new EPA. I look forward to continuing that constructive relationship.’
Disappointing
Greens Environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said, ‘It is extremely disappointing that rather than doing the right thing by nature, standing up for our great forest, protecting our koalas, the Prime Minister has again caved to the vested interests of the WA mining industry and Gina Rinehart.
‘Voting green this election and putting the Greens in the balance of power in both houses will be a vote for our forests and a vote for our koalas. The Greens will push a Labor minority government to do what is right by protecting our wildlife and saving our forests.
‘We can’t keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result,’ she said. ‘If we want to save our beautiful forests and end native forest logging, Australians should vote Green for nature this election.’
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