The Greens have called on Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to rule out making life easier for fossil fuel companies, following reports that a new environmental information body could be used by the Albanese Government to fast track coal and gas.
Greens spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“The job of the Environment minister is to protect the environment, not make life easier for fossil fuel companies. Minister Plibersek should rule out any suggestion that the environment will be traded off for a dirty deal with Peter Dutton and the gas industry.
“Peter Dutton is begging the Albanese Government to do a deal with the Coalition for their pitiful PRRT changes in exchange for fast-tracking coal and gas approvals. This is the last thing our environment, wildlife and climate needs.
“Environmental data should help protect nature, not be used for the benefit of polluting industries that continue to destroy it. This is completely counterproductive to the climate and environment targets the Government keeps claiming it is working towards.
“Labor should be working with the Greens to make big gas corporations pay their fair share of tax. Instead, they are sacrificing nature protection in a bid to keep big fossil fuels on their side.
“Minister Plibersek has committed to fixing our broken environmental laws in this country. This is not a good start. New bodies like Environment Information Australia must be futureproofed so they cannot be used for the benefit of polluting, destructive industries.”