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| Labor would consider federal oversight of national parks | Labor would consider federal oversight of national parks |
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| Labor will consider bringing in federal oversight of Australia's national parks if it is re-elected, after hitting out at the various state governments' management of wilderness areas. Mark Butler, the environment minister, said that an expert advisory committee would be formed to assess how best to protect national parks. The committee, which will consult with landholders and environmental groups, will consider two key options: to bring national parks under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act or create a new legal framework specifically for national parks. Butler said several Coalition state governments had allowed activity in national parks that the "vast majority" of Australians would consider inappropriate. New South Wales is rolling out a trial period of amateur shooting in its national parks, while Queensland is assessing whether to roll back land-clearing laws for some parks. Last week, Victoria passed legislation that would allow private developers to secure 99-year leases for tracts of the state's national parks. In June, the government voted down a Greens amendment that would have added national parks to the EPBC Act, shortly after accepting a proposal that federal oversight should be granted to coal and gas mining projects that could affect water quality. Butler said the committee would look at how to safeguard national parks for biodiversity and the enjoyment they bring to Australians. | Labor will consider bringing in federal oversight of Australia's national parks if it is re-elected, after hitting out at the various state governments' management of wilderness areas. Mark Butler, the environment minister, said that an expert advisory committee would be formed to assess how best to protect national parks. The committee, which will consult with landholders and environmental groups, will consider two key options: to bring national parks under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act or create a new legal framework specifically for national parks. Butler said several Coalition state governments had allowed activity in national parks that the "vast majority" of Australians would consider inappropriate. New South Wales is rolling out a trial period of amateur shooting in its national parks, while Queensland is assessing whether to roll back land-clearing laws for some parks. Last week, Victoria passed legislation that would allow private developers to secure 99-year leases for tracts of the state's national parks. In June, the government voted down a Greens amendment that would have added national parks to the EPBC Act, shortly after accepting a proposal that federal oversight should be granted to coal and gas mining projects that could affect water quality. Butler said the committee would look at how to safeguard national parks for biodiversity and the enjoyment they bring to Australians. |
| "There is growing community expectation that these vital links with our natural heritage will continue to be better protected from detrimental activities," he said. "There are a number of avenues the committee may choose to pursue, but their final recommendations will inform the approach a federal Labor government would take to further protect our national parks. | "There is growing community expectation that these vital links with our natural heritage will continue to be better protected from detrimental activities," he said. "There are a number of avenues the committee may choose to pursue, but their final recommendations will inform the approach a federal Labor government would take to further protect our national parks. |
| "By considering a broad range of evidence, the committee would be able to provide the federal Labor government with a measured way forward to respond to the pressures on our national parks, ensuring greater protections for the biodiversity they contain." Lyndon Schneiders, campaign director of the Wilderness Society, said he broadly welcomed the policy. "It's a bit late in the day, but then the prime minister and Mr Butler have only been in their roles for a short time," he said. "I suspect that the policy won't be implemented due to the likely change in government, but I commend Labor for promoting the conversation on our national parks. I look forward to that debate, whoever is in government. "The conversation around how to protect nature in Australia needs a radical shakeup, and not the shakeup the conservatives want, which is to trash it or commercialise it. Some of our most iconic species, such as the koala, the Tassie devil and the Leadbeater's possum, are going backwards fast, so we need a proper national conversation about how we best look after our national parks." The Greens are less enthused by the idea of the committee, calling Labor "all talk and no action". The Greens senator Larissa Waters said: "After six years in government doing nothing to protect national parks, calling for a review is a pathetic show of inaction from Labor and demonstrates they can't be trusted on the environment. "Two years ago, then environment minister Burke said he would protect national parks federally but never delivered, and in June this year, Labor voted against the Greens amendments to nationally protect national parks. "All the while, state premiers continue to threaten our national parks with logging, grazing, shooting, hotel developments and mining. Tony Abbott would put those same premiers in charge of the national environment with his plan to hand off federal environmental approval powers to his state cronies – an environmental disaster waiting to happen." | "By considering a broad range of evidence, the committee would be able to provide the federal Labor government with a measured way forward to respond to the pressures on our national parks, ensuring greater protections for the biodiversity they contain." Lyndon Schneiders, campaign director of the Wilderness Society, said he broadly welcomed the policy. "It's a bit late in the day, but then the prime minister and Mr Butler have only been in their roles for a short time," he said. "I suspect that the policy won't be implemented due to the likely change in government, but I commend Labor for promoting the conversation on our national parks. I look forward to that debate, whoever is in government. "The conversation around how to protect nature in Australia needs a radical shakeup, and not the shakeup the conservatives want, which is to trash it or commercialise it. Some of our most iconic species, such as the koala, the Tassie devil and the Leadbeater's possum, are going backwards fast, so we need a proper national conversation about how we best look after our national parks." The Greens are less enthused by the idea of the committee, calling Labor "all talk and no action". The Greens senator Larissa Waters said: "After six years in government doing nothing to protect national parks, calling for a review is a pathetic show of inaction from Labor and demonstrates they can't be trusted on the environment. "Two years ago, then environment minister Burke said he would protect national parks federally but never delivered, and in June this year, Labor voted against the Greens amendments to nationally protect national parks. "All the while, state premiers continue to threaten our national parks with logging, grazing, shooting, hotel developments and mining. Tony Abbott would put those same premiers in charge of the national environment with his plan to hand off federal environmental approval powers to his state cronies – an environmental disaster waiting to happen." |
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