Environmental Law Australia

Nature Laws that Work

This is a recording of a seminar for The Wilderness Society (TWS) on the Nature Laws that Work campaign in Australia.

The key points it makes are:

  • Every level of government in Australia has powers for environmental protection, but the Commonwealth is ultimately in control where and when it chooses to be.
  • Think of our national environmental laws as a vital safety net to protect us, the places we love, and our prosperity.
  • Current laws and regulators are failing badly.
  • We need to reboot our national laws. We need:
    • New national leadership;
    • New national environmental laws; and
    • A new, independent national environmental regulator.

A handout containing the key points of the seminar is available at this link.

The slides are available at this link.

It discusses the illusory protection of threatened species, the Black-throated Finch, in the approval of the Adani Coal Mine, as well as a news story of problems in the approval process for the Toondah Harbour development in Brisbane.

The presentation goes for 35 minutes and is followed by 25 minutes of Q&A:

Here is a shorter (5 minute) version of the key points of the presentation too: