Don't gut Australia's environmental laws

The Government is rushing changes through Parliament set to weaken environmental protection laws and benefit destructive industries.

Australia's environmental protection laws exist to ensure threatened ecosystems, our climate, and the public interest come before the profits of multinational salmon, coal and gas corporations. But now, the two major parties are set to unite to rewrite our nature laws at the behest of these corporations, letting industry run our parliament.

That's not how democracy works. Environmental laws should be strengthened, not weakened.

As Parliament meets today (25 March) fifty environmental groups, lead by the Australia Institute and strongly supported by NOFF, have organised full page ads in all leading newspapers, mobile billboards driving around parliament house as politicians arrive, and leading campaigners onsite

Neighbours of Fish Farming has travelled from Tasmania to Canberra to hold Labor to their promise of 'No New Extinctions'.

Jess Coughlan, Neighbours of Fish Farming campaigner says from Canberra:

"The government was elected on an environmental platform - and not only have they not delivered, Labor are determined to dismantle the current laws to protect the natural values of our environment from a destructive industry. The Maugean Skate is one of the world's living dinosaurs, and it only lives in Macquarie Harbour. Labor has no right to drive it to extinction."

"After a shocking second summer of mass mortalities in the waterways of Tasmania, the salmon industry cannot be categorised as sustainable, and therefore, its jobs are not sustainable. To bail out these foreign-owned companies with millions of taxpayers' dollars when the profits go overseas and the corporations have not paid tax in four years is bad enough. But to weaken our environmental laws? The Prime Minister has contempt not only for the environment but for Tasmanians as well."

"We are seeing rotting lumps of diseased salmon washing up on our pristine beaches, and fatty tides that are putrefying in our inter-tidal zones. This industry has lost social licence. Public support is overwhelmingly against industrial salmon feedlots in our waterways. After recent rallies, with thousands turning up on beaches to protest, the PM can be sure the polling booths will reflect mass discontent."

• All comments attributed to Jess Coughlan, NOFF Campaigner, 0431684741, noff7112@gmail.com