US EditionAlbanese Strikes Deal with the Greens to Pass Environment Protection Bill
The new bill creates an independent EPA and introduces national environmental standards including emissions reporting and land-clearing rules, addressing ecosystem losses highlighted by the 2020 Samuel Review.
- On Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese struck a deal with the Greens to overhaul Australia's environmental laws, creating an independent Environmental Protection Agency and advancing the bill to sail through the Senate.
- The EPBC Act dates to 2000, created by former prime minister John Howard, and the 2020 Samuel Review urged sweeping reform after about 100 species were lost since colonisation.
- Tougher rules will curb high‑risk land clearing, carve‑outs fast‑track some mining projects, and new emissions reporting targets big polluting companies, while coal and gas projects require federal water approvals.
- The bill delivers an overdue election commitment and ends a stalemate, clarifying when the minister can reject projects, introducing a net gain requirement, and announcing a $300 million growth fund for the forestry industry.
- With some rules still unwritten, the package blends stronger protections with business concessions, while excluding coal and gas projects from fast-tracked water approvals and accelerating major projects assessments.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Long-sought environmental law reform is finally here. But will the compromise deal actually protect nature?
Brayden Stanford/Pexels, CC BY-NC-NDToday is a landmark day for environmental law. After years of false starts and abandoned promises, Labor has finally struck a deal with the Greens to pass long-awaited changes to the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The laws are expected to pass the Senate today – the final parliamentary sitting day of the year. Change is long overdue, as the 25-year-old laws have been shown to…
Crucial laws to finally pass after five years following final-day deal
After five years of delays, laws to overhaul Australia's broken environmental regulation system will pass parliament following a deal between the government and Greens.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced this morning that he had struck a deal with the minor party to ensure legislation rewriting the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act will pass the Senate today, the final sitting day of the year."This is a land…
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