Environment watchdog powers may be weakened to pass parliament, Albanese says

The opposition, the Greens and crossbenchers have also raised concerns about Labor’s delay of a larger package of reforms to Australia’s failing system of environmental laws. Photograph: Nadir Kinani/The Guardian

Anthony Albanese says the government is considering watering down a proposal for a new independent environment watchdog in a bid to get the legislation through parliament.

The Greens and crossbench senators have called on the government not to further weaken the “already weak proposal” for a new national environmental protection agency (EPA) by abandoning a plan to allow the regulator to handle development proposal decisions.