The Honourable Tony Burke, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities yesterday announced that he was giving national protection to the Giant Kelp Marine Forests as an endangered ecological community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 (EPBC Act).
Humane Society International (HSI) was the organisation that made the original scientific nomination under the EPBC Act seeking national protection for this highly important and critical habitat type, and we congratulate Minister Burke for taking this urgent conservation measure.
Minister Burke noted that this was a conservation first, and that “These are the jungles we cannot see and are among our great natural treasures,” adding that “Any actions likely to have a significant impact on the giant kelp marine forests ecological community are now required to be referred for assessment under national environment law.”
HSI Campaign Director Mr Michael Kennedy said that, “While this statement is currently accurate, Minister Burke (and Prime Minister Julia Gillard) knows perfectly well that those Commonwealth powers now protecting the Giant Kelp Forests are soon to be handed back to the states and territories under an agreement with COAG, secured by the Business Council of Australia.”
“Minister Burke’s concluding press release paragraph stating that, ‘A listing under national environment law will provide giant kelp forests with consistent and effective protection across its national distribution over three state water jurisdictions’ is dangerously misleading,” said Mr Kennedy.
“The Giant Kelp Forests in Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia will not be secure or safe after March next year, when the Commonwealth plans to divest itself of all national environmental responsibilities. These state government’s do not have the legislative capability, nor the will, to effectively protect matters of National Environmental Significance,” said Mr Kennedy.
Mr Burke has already openly commented on the conservation record of the states and territories (in relation to the listing of the koala under the EPBC Act) when he noted that “The only reason we’ve had to intervene (to protect the koala) at all is the states on their own have allowed numbers to continue to go into free-fall.” (ABC Four Corners, tonight). The Environment Minister and Prime Minister know full well how bad the states’ environmental records really are.
“We call upon Minister Burke and Prime Minister Gillard to permanently halt the current COAG process that will see the EPBC Act gutted and planned amendments to the EPBC Act shelved. Anything less will lead to a long-term environmental disaster for this country,” concluded Mr Kennedy.
