THE HON. MARK BUTLER MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT,
CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER
MEMBER FOR PORT ADELAIDE
THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
GOVERNMENT ALL OVER THE SHOP IN RUSHED EPBC ANNOUNCEMENT
Today's announcement of changes to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is nothing but a pathetic attempt by the Abbott Government to distract from its political woes and its defence of Tony Abbott's besieged royal commissioner Dyson Heydon.
It was so rushed the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General cannot even agree on what today's announcement actually was.
The Prime Minister has said the Government will repeal parts of section 487, while the Attorney-General has said the whole section will go.
It's a rash reaction to the Government's incompetence and failures being borne out in the courts.
The Government has been caught out for not properly managing the approval process for the Adani Mine under the Act.
The Government's claims the EPBC Act is costing jobs is just outrageous - the only thing costing jobs is the Government's incompetence and the Prime Minister's determination to fight for his own job, and no one else's.
Under Tony Abbott, more than 800,000 people are now unemployed - the first time it's been this high in 20 years.
Since being passed by the Howard Government 15 years ago, the EPBC Act has been the overriding national environmental protection law, including throughout the mining boom - and environmental groups are required to operate within this law.
Labor will always support common sense improvements to our environmental regulatory system, such as the streamlining of assessment processes, but Labor won't support weakening environmental protections or limiting a community's right to challenge Government decisions.
TUESDAY, 18 AUGUST 2015
