Green Groups Express Disappointment With Lack of Environmental Policies

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a speech this week regarding the state of the nation's economy and a few government action plans alongside the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA). One decision that upset scientists and environmentalists were that of all the projects mentioned by Morrison, none seemed to be focused on the environment.

It's only been a few months since the disastrous bushfire crisis and the national conservation laws were reviewed. However, the government's priority right now has a priority list including railroad construction, emergency town water projects in New South Wales, a Marinus link from Tasmania and Victoria, and an extension of the Olympic Dam.

He also said that the ultimate objective was for project approval times to be improved. From 2019 to today, the approved decision was changed from 90 days to 40 days. Morrison hopes that these times will be cut even further so that all state and federal environmental evaluations would move within a 'single touch approval' system. Australia's leadership mainly spoke about projects and job provisions so that the country can step out of its economic decline that the pandemic caused.

Although he did mention the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act once during his speech, there were no mentions of projects to protect the local ecosystems. Green groups seem to be greatly disappointed.

Environmental Policies

Ayesha Tulloch, a researcher at the University of Sydney and Vice President of the Ecology Society of Australia expressed her concern. 'It's an act which has the word environment in it and yet the conversations we have about it don't even mention it. Even that term, 'green tape', is perceived as a negative thing rather than something that could promote economic stimulation.'

Last year October marked the most recent review of the EPBS Act, done once every 10 years, was announced by Sussan Ley, the federal environment minister. Alongside businessman Graeme Samuel, former chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Ley asked him how they 'can improve efficiency and make clear and simple decisions that deliver strong, clear, and focused environmental protection.'

'The act has been a world benchmark in environmental protection but needs to be adapted to changes in the environment and economy,' said Ley. Other experts have argued that the act falls short in preventing wildlife extinction as only 22 out of 6,500 proposed projects have been referred for approval in the last 20 years.

Australia currently has the world's highest rate of extinct mammals such as a few wallaby species and the Tasmanian tiger (Thylacine). The government has failed to implement or track measures for endangered species.

Listing threatened ecosystems and species have been delayed by several consecutive ministers while funding went to projects that played no benefit to endangered species. Hundreds of flora and fauna have been identified by environmentalists as needing urgent attention after the recent bushfires yet remain unnoticed by the government.

"One area in which the commonwealth has a direct regulatory role for relevant projects is through approvals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999," Morrison said, explaining that delays associated with approvals cost the industry an estimated amount of more than $300 million last year.

Megan Evans, an environmental policy researcher at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, said one reason for slow approvals is due to the limited capacity of the government. Ideally, a world-leading environmental system would require government investments and the unity of business and the environment.

Read Also: Is the Tasmanian Tiger Really Extinct? 1935 Recovered Footage of the Last Known Thylacine Released

Disappointment and Ambiguity

'You could provide that by providing clear and unambiguous advice by, for example, saying this particular species, or area, or piece of cultural heritage is a no-go zone," said Evans. Instead, she said that the minister had an ambiguous speech which is frustrating. 'You can't on one hand complain about the lack of certainty but then on the other shy away from measures that would actually provide greater certainty,' she said.

Bill Hare, a climate scientist, said that lack of prioritizing the local environment is a 'democratic deficit,' not just concern over the natural habitat. 'It's distressing and depressing because of the ongoing decline of the Australian environment, the ongoing loss of biodiversity and because there's absolutely no recognition of the need to tackle climate change in any of this," he said.

Euan Ritchie, an associate professor in wildlife ecology and conservation at Deakin University, expressed his disappointment that the environmental review had no focus on the country's 2,000 endangered species and subspecies. One way to speed up approvals, Ritchie said, is for green groups to hasten conservation assessments of ecosystems and action plans for threatened species.