✍️ PETITION: Fix Our Broken Environment Laws
Video footage of mass salmon die-off courtesy of the Bob Brown Foundation
Australia’s environment laws should protect our climate, our unique wildlife, biodiversity and World Heritage. But right now, they’re safeguarding corporate interests instead of nature.
Australia Institute research shows the salmon industry in Tasmania is sending the endangered Maugean skate to the brink of extinction. Instead of protecting endangered species, the Labor government, supported by the Coalition, weakened national environment laws to protect salmon farming in the final week of Parliament before the 2025 election.
Labor went to the 2022 election promising to strengthen Australia’s environmental laws. But under pressure from the salmon industry, coal, gas, and other extractive industries, they paved the way for corporations to trash our environment.
Australia urgently needs stronger, more effective laws to protect our climate, environment, endangered species and World Heritage.
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What needs fixing?
Australia Institute research shows to fix Australia's broken environment laws:
- Repeal recent amendments that gutted environment laws – made to benefit salmon farming corporations, the changes stop community groups from challenging environmentally damaging projects.
- Introduce a “climate trigger” – end the loophole that means climate impacts of coal and gas mines aren't covered.
- Introduce emergency provisions - so environment ministers can intervene to prevent the extinction of a species, or the destruction of World Heritage.
- Establish stronger protections for nature – including ‘red lines’ to protect the habitat of species threatened with extinction and other nationally important environmental matters.
- National standards – so that anything delegated to state or territory governments is required to meet national protection outcomes.
- Remove the exemption for logging – so that all industries, including native forest logging companies, must comply with requirements including protecting endangered species from extinction.
- A strong and independent regulator – that is appropriately resourced to monitor and assess compliance.
More information
- More than 50 environment and other NGOS signed on to tell the Parliament: Don’t Gut Our Environment Laws
- View our explainer on the most recent changes to the EPBC laws - How Australia’s green safety net was slashed
Mass Salmon Die-Off (warning: distressing content)
Rotting, dead salmon has been washing up on beaches and in pens in the shallow, coastal waters of the Tasman Peninsula and the Huon (19 Feb 2025).
These distressing images are courtesy of the Bob Brown Foundation.
To the Federal Parliament --
We need stronger, more effective laws to protect our climate, environment and biodiversity – safeguarding our precious nature, instead of corporate interests.
We call on the Federal Parliament to fix our broken environment laws.
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