The Greens have condemned the Morrison Government for proposing changes to conservation planning decisions that would see the Tasmanian devil recovery plan scrapped.
Greens Senator for lutruwita/Tasmania Peter Whish-Wilson said:
“Tasmanian devils are endangered and their recovery from the infectious cancer that decimated their population is far from over.
“Australia’s in an extinction crisis and recovery plans are one of the key instruments that we have to help threatened species recover.
“The proposal to scrap the Tasmanian devil’s recovery plan is frighteningly short-sighted, but what we have come to expect from this government.
“This is a case in point example of the federal government’s attempts to offload their environmental responsibilities to the states.
“Abandoning the Tasmanian devil now, after so much time and money and love has been poured into keeping the treasured species alive and healthy, is a cruel death sentence.
“Aside from the facial tumour disease the Tasmanian devil still faces significant threats from land clearing, mining, forestry and from becoming roadkill.
“Federal funding has been critical to the Tasmanian devil’s survival, but this ended in 2017. I recently wrote to Environment Minister Sussan Ley urging her to provide more federal assistance to help the devil recover – but this has clearly been disregarded.
“The public now has a limited time to oppose this reckless proposal, and I urge them to jump through the unnecessary hoops the Government has put in place to have their voice heard.
“The Greens will continue to fight for stronger federal environmental laws including a zero-extinction target, stronger environmental protections and an independent watchdog to hold governments, miners and developers to account.”
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