Labor states must follow federal lead and refuse Abbott’s one-stop shop at COAG

Labor states should reject Tony Abbott’s ‘one stop shop’ plan at COAG on Friday, following federal Labor’s support for a Greens’ amendment against the plan in federal Parliament last night.

“Labor state governments must follow federal Labor’s lead and loudly reject Tony Abbott’s environmentally destructive plan at COAG on Friday,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

“Tony Abbott wants to give state governments the final say over whether projects that damage the environment go ahead, ditching a 30-year-old federal veto power.

“The Prime Minister is doing the bidding of big business and mining magnates, trying to sign up states and territories at COAG to abolish this important federal safeguard for our most precious wilderness and wildlife.

“If Labor-led ACT, South Australia and Tasmania sign up, they would be contradicting federal Labor’s position, demonstrated in federal Parliament last night, and destroying Bob Hawke’s legacy, created when he stepped in to save the Franklin from being dammed.

“Now in Opposition, federal Labor has seen the perils of this handover of federal approval powers and backed our amendment last night to maintain the role of the federal government in protecting the environment.

“The Productivity Commission report out today found that Australia’s environmental regulation is on par with Canada, US, UK and New Zealand.

“Given a fifth of Australia’s mammal species are threatened with extinction, we need to be strengthening federal environment protection not palming it off to the states.

“Despite Labor finally standing against the devolution of national environment law in Parliament, it was disappointing that Labor last night voted with the Coalition to weaken threatened species protection.

“The Coalition wanted to completely remove the community’s right to take the government to court if it ignores expert advice on threatened species impacts when approving major developments.

“Labor and the Coalition got together to amend the bill so the community still has that right but only for decisions made after this year, locking away any skeletons in the closet.

“Labor has given the Abbott Government a free ride to ignore expert advice until the end of the year.

“This is very concerning given decisions on the Abbot Point coal terminal expansion in the Great Barrier Reef, and Clive Palmer’s Galilee Basin coal mine, are due this year,” Senator Waters said.
Senator Larissa Waters Senator for Queensland