Coalition, Labor Push Bill, Weaken Nature Laws
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has today condemned the Albanese Government and the Coalition for joining forces to ram through changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act – a move AMCS describes as a devastating blow to Australia’s threatened wildlife and an extinction warrant for the Maugean skate.
The amendment to the EPBC Act, passed with support from both major parties, will allow polluting and damaging salmon farming to continue unchecked in Macquarie Harbour, even as the Maugean skate faces extinction.
AMCS Threatened Species Campaigns Manager, Alexia Wellbelove, said: “Today, both major parties have shown yet again that polluting industries prevail at all costs, rather than showing long-term leadership for a future where our environment, culture and regional livelihoods can thrive together.
“This Bill is a betrayal – of science, of public trust and of the government’s own commitments.
“The amendment weakens our already broken nature laws and sets a dangerous precedent: that critically endangered species can be sacrificed without scrutiny.
“The government passed the Bill through both houses of Parliament in just two days, denying it the proper scrutiny environmental legislation demands. Despite emphatic statements that this decision was based on science, the science referred to has been spun to fit their narrative.
“The Maugean skate is now so vulnerable that a single extreme weather event could push it over the edge. It has survived this long largely due to luck, not action.
The endangered Maugean skate, found only in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, is on the brink of extinction. Scientists have repeatedly warned that salmon farming is the key threat, yet this new law will allow operations to continue, irrespective of the impact on this endangered species.
“We call on all parties to immediately prioritise the delivery of the full suite of nature law reforms Australia was promised.
“It’s not too late to change course – but it soon will be for the Maugean skate,” said Ms Wellbelove.
Alexia Wellbelove is at Parliament House, Canberra and available on 0422 852 802
https://www.marineconservation.org.au/coalition-and-labor-team-up-to-ram-through-bill-weakening-nature-laws-and-fast-tracking-extinctions/