[Greens-Media] Media release: Minister Hunt to put fox in charge of the henhouse

[Vandeleur, Monique (Sen L. Waters)]

Senator Larissa Waters
Senator for Queensland

Media release

Monday, 18 November 2013

Minister Hunt to put fox in charge of the henhouse

The Abbott Government is prepared to give state governments the power to approve their own development projects under national environment law without federal approval, despite earlier commitments to the contrary, Senate Estimates have revealed today under questioning from the Australian Greens.

"Giving state governments the final say on whether their own major infrastructure projects go ahead, despite the environmental impacts, will leave the fox in charge of the henhouse," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

"The Abbott Government has been highly secretive about the details of its plans to entrust state governments with federal responsibilities to approve projects that impact our most precious places and wildlife, including threatened species and World Heritage Areas.

"But it had leaked some information to select media outlets, including that the power to approve environmentally risky projects where the state government is the proponent would be kept in federal  hands.

"Despite these reports, Senate Estimates today revealed that the Environment Department has not been asked to rule out any projects for the state handover, even those where the state government is the proponent.

"State governments have a direct conflict of interest when it comes to approving their own projects or that of their government owned corporations, such as huge dams and industrial port developments.

"If state governments had this free reign in the past, both the Franklin and Traveston dams would have gone ahead, despite the lasting environmental damage they would have inflicted.

"If the Abbott Government succeeds in handing over all its federal environmental approval powers, without any safeguards even to protect from state conflicts of interest, what will the Environment Minister actually be left to do?

"Minister Hunt will be left on a job hunt.

"The Abbott Government is making a mockery of 30 years of federal responsibility to protect our environment, which is a tragedy for our wild places and species," Senator Waters said.

Contact - Monique Vandeleur 0419 626 725