The Federal Environment Minister, Murray Watt, has presented parliament with long awaited reforms to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) aka our Federal Nature Laws. Sadly, these reforms are not what we were expecting. 

Legal analysis from Environmental Justice Australia has confirmed that the proposed reforms are just not good enough to protect nature and stop deforestation, and could potentially result in worse outcomes for nature! Some key concerns include:

1. It does not close the deforestation loopholes that allow ongoing clearing of native bushland and forests in Great Barrier Reef catchments. 

2. It gives the Minister too much discretionary power and even the power to approve harmful projects on the basis of “national interest”. This means that decisions could be left up to politics and not science or law. 

3. It does not include a consideration for climate harm. A project’s emissions and contributions to climate change aren’t considered even though climate change is one of the primary threats to nature, especially in FNQ. 

Shockingly, the Lower House has already approved this reform and now it’s gone up to the Senate who have started an Inquiry. This means that they want to know more and they want to hear from the public.

This is our chance to push for strong new federal nature laws. Laws that will finally crack down on Queensland’s record high deforestation rates that wipe out homes for koalas and greater gliders, laws that will protect our special places in Far North Queensland and our unique plants and animals.

CAFNEC has prepared a detailed submission with examples pertinent to our region to help you make your own submission. Our goal is to get as many submissions as possible with voices from our region highlighting the risks to our Spectacled Flying Foxes, Cassowaries, Great Barrier Reef and all the unique biodiversity Far North Queensland hosts. 

Environmental Justice Australia has developed a downloadable submission guide, which we highly recommend taking a look at! We recommend writing your own submission based on the resources above, but if you are short on time, you can use our simple submission template – simply download a copy and complete the highlighted areas. 

We recommend writing your own unique submission using the resources above, but if you are short on time, you can use our community submission template – simply download a copy and complete the highlighted areas. Then follow the instructions below to lodge your submission.

Lodge your submission:

Upload your submission via the My Parliament submission portal (more detailed instructions in submission guide above).

Optional extra – Email your submission to decision makers:

• Minister for the Environment, Senator Murray Watt, at Minister.watt@nulldcceew.gov.au
  
• Senator Nita Green at senator.green@nullaph.gov.au

Don’t have the capacity to make a submission?

We have been flooding our representatives emails, calling on them to advocate for stronger nature laws within their party.

Download our letter template, fill it out with your personal story and illustrate why you care about our unique nature.

Send it directly to: matt.smith.mp@nullaph.gov.au , senator.green@nullaph.gov.au and senator.watt@nullaph.gov.au.

Stumped for words but would still like to add your name?

Click on the link below and send a quick pre-written email to our MP Matt Smith, Senators and Minister Watt. A small action adds up if enough of us do it!

CAFNEC teamed up with other experts to give you the details on why the review of the EPBC Act matters and what action you can take to support better laws.