Labor's Environmental Law Reform Campaign Overview
Labor's position on environmental law reform, focusing on the proposed changes, key principles, and contrasting views with the Government. It covers the push for national standards, decision-making processes, and the creation of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The discussion highlights the significance of these reforms and the differing stances between Labor and the Government on these critical environmental issues.
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Presentation Transcript
The good news is The good news is 1. Changes will have to be passed by the Parliament. So Labor s position matters! 2. With the support of 500 local branches and other party units, LEAN campaigned to make sure the framework for Labor s position on environmental law reform is strong and clear in the Platform.
The ALP National Platform s principles for environmental law reform
Samuels Reform Architecture three inter-related proposals 1. Make protecting the environment mandatory through National Standards 2. Handing decision making over to the states based on the National standards. 3. Creation of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to keep an eye on delivery of the above.
1. National standards What ALP Platform says: Great idea! Explicitly supported in the Labor Platform and central to LEAN s campaign (making the laws mandate environmental protection) What the Government says: Government says it supports BUT is planning to rush it through without adequate time and resources. Ideally these standards would be developed by the independent regulator, reform 3 and be surrounded by scientific review and independence. 2. Handing decision making to the states What ALP Platform says: Labor platform explicitly rejects devolving the Federal government s responsibility to approve (or not) projects. There are 33 international treaties that relate to the EPBC Federal Government can t just hand these responsibilities over to someone else. Labor will not support handing approval powers under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 to state and territory governments and will terminate any arrangements that give states these powers (ALP National Platform 2018, Chapter 4, paragraph 47, p 80) What the Government says: Government says it will devolve decision making to the states.
3. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) What Labor Platform says: The Platform explicitly supports the creation of an EPA For the purposes of managing matters of national environmental significance, [Labor will] create strong, well resourced, science based institutions to administer the law: including a federal Environmental Protection Agency... Labor and LEAN s vision for the EPA however extends further than the proposal Samuel has put forward. The EPA should form the backbone of the environmental protection architecture designing the National Standards, overseeing the approvals processes, providing policy advice to government. What the Government says: It has RULED out creating an EPA. And a final thing don t rush The Government has said they are going to do all this in the Parliamentary sitting at the end of August. There is no way such major reform can be done so quickly.
What about COVID and the need to help deliver economic recovery? Good news is our proposal works for the environment and for business. Clarity of processes and clear legal lines in the sand about environmental outcomes will provide better outcomes for environment and clarity for business. And a strong, independent regulator (EPA) that leads approvals can provide clear processes, timelines and expectations.
LETTER WRITING IDEAS 1. I m a LEAN/Labor member. 2. Why you care - What is it about Australia s amazing natural bounty that you really value? 3. Labor should adopt 3 bottom lines, based on the policy principles in the National Platform: Labor supports creation of National Standards, but insists they are strong. Labor does not support handing over decision making to the states. Labor insists that the reforms include creation of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 4. Why rush? These are important reforms and will take time. 5. We need Labor to lead to defend us and our environment from Scott Morrison who will hand our natural heritage over to the highest bidder.
