Event description
Hear an update on what the Review recommendations mean for the Biodiversity Conservation Act, Australia s premiere environmental law. About this Event
Australia s Federal environmental law went through a review in mid 2020. An interim report was rejected. The final report came out late last year, with too many recommendations for anyone person to comprehend.
Join this zoom event for an update on the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) and what the many recommendations mean for us.
The update on the Act will be delivered by Rachel Walmsley, Head of Policy and Law Reform, Environmental Defenders Office.
Deputy Premier and resources minister John Barilaro said Shenhua will withdraw its mining lease application and surrender its development consent. The government will cancel the exploration licence and acquire 6000 hectares of high conservation land, to be managed by the state’s local land services.
The Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) described the buy-back as a “massive win” for its clients including First Nation’s leader Veronica “Dolly” Talbott, Lock the Gate Alliance and Upper Mooki Landcare.
The licence, given in 2008, created a groundswell of opposition from the Gomeroi Traditional Custodians, who wanted to protect the area’s cultural sites and landholders who feared the mine’s impact on an area renowned for its fertile soil.
The future of the coal industry plays a central role in the 22 May Upper Hunter byelection campaign, with Barilaro previously describing it as a “forever” industry.
On Wednesday, the government announced it would open up other areas of the state for potential new coalmining, including the Wollar region in the central west.
It also announced a $25m per annum “royalties for rejuvenation” fund for parts of the state where the demand for coal has declined, causing economic disruption.
Barilaro said the government remained committed to “making NSW the number one investment destination for mining in Australia”.
“But we need to find a balance, and this decision will deliver certainty to farmers and the Liverpool Plains community, while guaranteeing protection to parcels of land with high value biodiversity,” he said.
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