‘Serious gaps’ in Labor’s environment laws undermine attempt to fix broken system, integrity experts say

‘Environmental decision making is especially prone to capture by vested interests – that’s why integrity safeguards must be strong,’ Gabrielle Appleby, the Centre for Public Integrity’s head of research, says. Photograph: Krystle Wright/The Guardian

Political integrity experts have raised concerns about Labor’s proposed new nature laws, including a contentious new “national interest” exemption, as pressure mounts on the Albanese government to rethink major parts of the reform.

As debate on legislation to overhaul the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act resumes in the lower house on Tuesday, the Centre for Public Integrity has identified several “integrity risks” that threaten to undermine attempts to fix the broken system.