Letter to MPs to support strongly legislated environmental protection

Dear Senators and Members,

I wish to express my support for your voting to support strongly legislated environmental protection in response to the recent Samuel review of the EPBC act (1999). In support of this I commend the response to previous ministerial releases from the Environmental Defender's Office outlining eight (8) areas requiring legislative amendments entitled "Urgency and ambition more important than ever for national nature law reform". This document is available at: https://www.edo.org.au/2023/07/27/urgency-and-ambition-more-important-than-ever-for-national-nature-law-reform/  

The primary issues as I see them include: i) Implementation of fit-for-biodiversity conservation standards; 

ii) Recognition that some ecosystems, plants and animals are too valuable or rare to be offset and some developments must be disallowed when the legislated 'mitigation hierarchy' fails to avoid, mitigate or minimise harm in any Biodiversity Offset schemes operating in the Commonwealth; 

iii) Provision of clear, unambiguous guidelines limiting ministerial call-in provisions of s.158A of EPBC act;

iv) Provision of both 'Water' and 'Stage I and II GHG emission Climate Change Impact' triggers for EPA reviews of new and amended applications; and 

v) Enforceable powers for a well-funded and resourced EPA.

I look forward to your written response to this request as one of your constituents

Yours faithfully,

Douglas Williamson

B.Sc.; Dip. Ed.; M.Envt.

The only way to get where we want to be in the future is to change the direction of the lifeboat we are travelling in.