Labor Minister Confirms Tougher Environmental Laws Off the Table Due to Insufficient Support

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek are seen after a swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Canberra, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

As Parliament prepares for its final session starting from Feb. 4 before the next election, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has confirmed that the federal government will not be proceeding with the contentious Nature Positive Laws.

“We have to look again at how we approach this issue, including with all stakeholders. And I have no doubt minister Plibersek (Environment Minister) will do that,” Wong said.

The legislation, designed to strengthen environmental protections, has faced strong opposition from Labor Western Australian Premier Roger Cook and sections of the mining industry.

Cook is preparing for a tough election in a year and must balance the interests of the mining sector, which is by far the state’s largest exporter.

When asked whether the proposed laws were “dead, buried, and cremated,” Wong acknowledged that there was insufficient stakeholder support.

“It’s been made clear that we won’t be proceeding with these, and we understand the importance of making sure that these sorts of reforms are dealt with in a way that engages stakeholders,” she told ABC Breakfast News.

The Nature Positive laws would have empowered the Environmental Protection Agency with more power to make decisions on environmental assessments, project approvals, and issuing permits and licences.

This would impact activities like recycling, waste disposal, environmental preservation, cultural heritage preservation, and mining.

Greens Accuse Labor of Capitulating to Mining Interests

The decision to delay the legislation has drawn strong criticism from the Greens.

Greens environment spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said she was blindsided by Labor’s move, accusing the government of caving to pressure from the WA mining sector.

“It is extremely disappointing that rather than doing the right thing by nature, standing up for our great forests, protecting our koalas, the prime minister has again caved to the vested interests of the WA mining industry,” she said.

“The prime minister has not got what it takes to save Australia’s native forests or protect our koalas. The Greens will now take ending native forest logging to the election. We are urging people to vote for nature at the ballot box.”

During the last parliamentary session in Nov. 2024, Albanese was accused of overriding a deal that Plibersek had reportedly struck with the Greens to pass the environmental reforms.

Plibersek, expressing disappointment over the stalled legislation, said, “The events were disappointing, but the bill will return to the Senate in February, and I remain hopeful it will gain the support needed to pass.”

It is believed that the decision was made after Cook put pressure on Albanese to hold the reforms.

Later speaking to reporters, Cook denied directly lobbying the prime minister on the matter but acknowledged that he has had “discussions at the highest level of the federal government” regarding environmental legislation.

Albanese Rejected Claims of Broken Deal

Albanese dismissed claims that Plibersek had an agreement with the Greens, insisting that no such deal existed.

“We were negotiating across the Parliament with the Coalition and the crossbench. Some measures we didn’t agree on were put aside. That was one of them,” he said.

The draft agreement reportedly included provisions for new national environmental standards and a framework for regional forest agreements.

In exchange, the Greens were prepared to concede on their demand for an immediate end to native forest logging. However, the deal fell apart when it became clear the reforms lacked sufficient political support.

Industry and Advocacy Groups Weigh In

Now that the delay has been confirmed, environmental groups have condemned the Albanese government and the WA government for what they see as capitulation to industry interests.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific accused both governments of “quashing promised national nature law reforms” due to pressure from fossil fuel and mining companies.

“The Albanese government promised to end the extinction crisis and deliver a strong new nature law this term backed by an independent environment watchdog with teeth. The crossbench and environment groups stood ready to support a compromise deal to deliver part of the reforms through the Senate this week. It is deeply disappointing that the government has now walked away,” Glenn Walker, head of Nature at Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

Meanwhile, Saxon Davidson, a research fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), argued that taxpayers would bear the financial burden of the federal EPA proposed under the plan, with projected annual costs of $1.8 billion (US$1.2 billion).

“If the three Nature Positive bills currently under consideration in Parliament are passed, the amount of legislation managed by the environment department would surge to at least 7,004 pages, reflecting a 142 percent increase from 2021 levels,” Davidson said.

The IPA has called for a reassessment of the reforms, urging the government to consider their economic impact on regional Australians.

With the bill now shelved, debate over its future is likely to continue into the next parliamentary term, making environmental policy a key issue in the upcoming federal election.