We are Australians that dearly love the land, water, wildlife, and culture of our great country. We are committed to communities having a fair go, to openness in decision-making and to having our voices heard on decisions that affect us. We are committed to the wellbeing of this generation and future generations – and to protecting our people and our landscapes from the devastating impacts and costs of climate disasters.

We are dismayed that the Albanese Government has put forward national environment law reform that experts tell us will take us backwards – backwards on protecting environments, backwards on integrity, and backwards on community rights and interests.

Our national environment laws were first drafted 25 years ago, under John Howard, and they have never been fit for purpose. We are dismayed that the Albanese Government is proposing new laws that go backwards from that, despite the many new crises and pressures that we face.

We call on the Australian Parliament to reject the Albanese government’s new laws and all the many components of them which will take us backwards, including:

• The “streamlined” process that will cut out local communities, Traditional Owners and the public from having a say in decisions on coal and gas, renewables and minerals projects;
• Handing decisions of national significance, including impacts on our water, to state and territory governments, who have shown they can’t be trusted;
• Creating sweeping new corruption risks by giving the Minister unprecedented power to decide how and when the law is actually applied (known as “rulings”);
• Entrenching a broad “national interest” loophole which can be used to approve almost any development regardless of environmental impacts;
• Creating a new ‘pay to destroy’ offset scheme that would allow developers to pay money into a fund in return for obtaining approval;
• Allowing the Minister to decide to switch off important safeguards for offshore gas projects, impacting First Nations consultation and environmental assessment.

Only when these backward steps have been fixed, will there be an opening to then take the reforms forward for the benefit of all Australians, such as by:

• Ensuring that Aboriginal cultural values are a key part of all assessments and requiring Free, Prior and Informed Consent from Traditional Owners on project decisions;
• Better protecting water catchments, groundwater, forests and wildlife habitat;
• Ensuring all polluting activities are subject to stringent assessments of full climate impacts;
• Giving all communities the right to challenge decisions on their merits.

Australia has committed to halt extinction by 2030 and restore the integrity, connectivity and resilience of ecosystems by mid-century. The Albanese Government and the Australian parliament must act on this commitment with laws that safeguard Australia’s natural heritage and the wellbeing of future generations.

Bob Brown Foundation

Lock the Gate Alliance

The Australia Institute

Australian Youth Climate Coalition

Friends of the Earth Australia

Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC)

Mineral Policy Institute

Parents for Climate

350.org Australia

Move Beyond Coal

Beyond Gas Network

Climate Justice Coalition

Doctors for the Environment Australia

Jubilee Australia

Resource Justice Network

Australian Forests and Climate Alliance

Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action

The Sunrise Project Australia

ActionAid Australia

Environment Centre Northern Territory

Conservation Council        ACT Region

Environment Victoria

Conservation Council of South Australia

Conservation Council WA

Nature Conservation Council NSW

Environment Tasmania

Victorian National Parks Association

NSW Wildlife Council

Arid Lands Environment Centre

Mudgee District Environment Group

Environs Kimberley

Cairns and Far North Environment Centre

Mackay Conservation Group

Capricorn Conservation Council

Environmental Advocacy in Central Queensland

The Environment Council of Central Queensland

North Coast Environment Council

Darling Downs Environment Council

Central West Environment Council

North Queensland Conservation Council

Madden Sainsbury Foundation

Nambucca Valley Conservation Association

Clarence Valley Conservation Coalition

Healthy Rivers Dubbo

Protect the Bush Alliance Inc

BirdLife Sth Queensland

Kyogle Environment Group

BirdLife Top End

Clean Water For Rivers

Hunter Environment Lobby

Mulgoa Valley Landcare Group.

NT Field Naturalists Club

South East Regional Conservation Alliance

Running Stream Water Users Association

The Bimblebox Alliance

Boroondara Reconciliation Network

Mudgee Region Health Alliance

Clarence Catchment Alliance

Gloucester Environment Group

Kinglake Friends of the Forest

Rylstone District Environment Society

Northern Rivers Guardians

Blicks River Guardians

Lithgow Environment Group

Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Orange

Planning Action Network (NT)

Friends of Lee Point

ACF Community Canberra

ACF Adelaide Community

ACF Mornington Group

ACF Northern Beaches

ACF Community Boroondara

ACF Community Melbourne NxNW

ACF Community Eastern Sydney

ACF Community Eastern Rosellas

Central Victoria ACF Community Group

ACF Brisbane South & Logan Community Group

ACF Community Greater Western Sydney

Earth Care Mt Barker

Letters for the Environment Central Australia

Caldera Environment Centre

Friends of the Koala

Friends of Cudgen Nature Reserve

Maules Creek Community Council

Terania Native Forest Action Group

Illawarra Knitting Nannas Against Greed (IKNAG)

South East Forest Rescue

North East Forest Alliance

WA Forest Alliance

Clarence Environment Centre

Lawsons Creek Water Users Association

Save Deongwar State Forest

SA MP Engagement Group (SAMPEG)

Peoples Climate Assembly

Tasmanian Climate Collective

Bathurst Community Climate Action Network

Darebin Climate Action Now

NUCA (Neighbours United for Climate Action)

XR South-East Melbourne

Climate Action Newcastle

Canterbury Bankstown Climate Action Network

Climate Action Merri-bek

Fossil Free SA

Shire Climate Action Network

Midwest Carbon Zero

Vote Earth Now

Darwin and NT Parents for Climate

Parents for Climate Adelaide

Coonabarabran Knitting Nannas

Dubbo Field Naturalist & Conservation Society

Mudgee Region Action Group

Save Our Darling Downs

Nimbin Environment Centre

Elands Community Centre

Port Phillip Emergency Climate Action Network (PECAN)

Climate Justice Alliance Northern Rivers

Nillumbik Climate Action Team

Lighter Footprints

Resilient 4017

Electrify 5049+

Tomorrow Movement Wollongong

XR Bramble Bay (Northside Brisbane)

Australian Religious Response to Climate Change SA (ARRCC SA)

Yarra Climate Action Now

Chisholm Climate Action Network

Extinction Rebellion South Australia

Green Shareholders

Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle

Grafton Knitting Nannas

Sydney Knitting Nannas & Friends