[Greens-Media] MEDIA RELEASE Greens urge Labor to take last chance to leave environmental legacy

[Vandeleur, Monique (Sen L. Waters)]

MEDIA RELEASE
Senator Larissa Waters
Senator for Queensland

Tuesday, May 14

GREENS URGE LABOR TO TAKE LAST CHANCE TO LEAVE ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY

A Greens amendment to be introduced to the Senate today gives Labor one last chance to Abbott-proof national environment protection.

"It's Labor's last chance to protect our national environment from the ravages of state premiers and protect the legacy of Bob Hawke, who stepped in to save the Franklin from the Tasmanian Government's plan to dam it," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

"I will move an amendment today to strengthen our environmental laws to keep them in federal hands in the face of Abbott's promise - and Labor's one-time plan - to give away all of the federal government's environmental responsibilities to state governments.

"If Labor have truly backed away from their sop to the Business Council with this plan, they need to take the option off the table for an Abbott Government by amending the laws.

"If Labor refuses to support my simple amendment to remove the section of national environment law that allows it to be handed over to state governments, it will be complicit to Tony Abbott's destruction of national environment protection.

"I'll move this amendment to the government's water bill, which belatedly empowers the Environment Minister to look at the impacts of coal seam gas and large coal mines on water resources before deciding whether these projects should go ahead.

"The bill was amended thanks to Greens negotiations and Tony Windsor, ensuring that the federal government will still have the final say on whether a coal seam gas project or large coal mine should go ahead based on its water impacts.

"But all other matters of national environmental significance, such as our World Heritage areas and threatened species, are not afforded that protection.

"They're up for grabs for Tony Abbott to hand them over to his state cronies, which he has said repeatedly he will do if he forms government.

"The Greens want to see strong national protection for our all aspects of our national environment. Why treat water resources differently to threatened species or the Great Barrier Reef?

"Let's give all matters of national environmental significance that security that allows the federal government to step in where a state government approves a development that will destroy a national icon or species.

"Without federal governments stepping in in the past, we'd have oil rigs on the Great Barrier Reef, cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park and the Franklin River would be dammed," Senator Larissa Waters.