The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is our key environmental law set by the Federal government to protect our most vulnerable species and ecosystems.
Last year the mandatory review of the EPBC Act commenced. The review will look at how the EPBC Act has been operating, and any changes needed for the Act to ensure it is fulfilling its purpose.
Australia is in an extinction crisis. Our EPBC Act is failing to protect the plants and animals that we love. It is weak, poorly funded and doesn’t even mention climate change.
Without a serious overhaul of our environmental laws we will continue to loose our beautiful wildlife and the places they live. We will continue to see development prioritised over habitat, forests bulldozed at an unsustainable rate and the ongoing decline of specises as we ignore how they suffer from climate change.
Make A Submission- Due 17 Apr 2020
This is a big moment and the big orgs have made guides for your submission. Check them out below
The department has created this online form as their prefered way of reciving feedback. Follow the link for a streamlined submission.
To write your own submission, you must include a prescribed cover letter. Find that and email/address details at the link below.
Read our Submission
From the Places You Love Alliance
Their Submission Guide From the PYL website: Drawing on the work of the Australian Panel of Experts on Environmental Law (APEEL), the Places You Love Alliance is calling for:
- A new generation of environment laws that genuinely protect our unique wildlife and the places we love
- Independent institutions that set science-based national environmental standards and operate transparently and independently of government
- A National Sustainability Commission that develops enforceable national, regional, threat abatement and species-level conservation plans
- A National Environmental Protection Agency that has adequate authority and capacity to check for compliance and to enforce environmental laws
- Guaranteed community rights and participation in environmental decision making
From the Australian Conservation Foundation
From their website:
But right now, our nature protection system is failing. Our national environment law – the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation or EPBC Act – is weak, outdated and full of holes. It is too weak to stop logging companies bulldozing critically important forests. It is failing to stop coal companies digging mines, polluting our air and water – and doesn’t even mention the word ‘climate change’.
Our federal environment law – the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) – is currently undergoing a once-in-a-decade review. This is an important opportunity for concerned citizens to advocate to strengthen this law so it properly protects nature in Australia.
From the Wilderness Society
From the TWS website: This is a once-in-a-decade chance to have a real national conversation about how we protect our environment. We want to get as many community submissions as possible into the Review to:
- Hold the Government to account for their action (or lack of action) in fixing Australia’s environment protection system in response to the 2019-20 summer bushfires;
- Ensure the Independent Reviewer and Review Panel hear your lived experience of nature destruction, understand your concerns and the solution we know Australia’s nature needs;
- Balance the voice of vested interests who want to see Australia’s nature protections weakened even further; and
- Use the big opportunity of the Review to call on politicians and decision-makers to take concrete action to end our extinction and deforestation crises.
