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The Latest Breaking News from Graeme Samuel

Environment rules promise protection but raise concerns

Tougher rules to protect Australia's environment have been welcomed by developers, but conservation groups say they fall short of the changes needed.

AAP

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Graeme Samuel on ‘doomsday’ attacks on the federal budget

This year’s federal budget has been the most controversial since the Abbott government’s 2014 budget, with Labor struggling to sell its new capital gains tax changes and crackdown on trusts.

The Conversation

Australia’s old environment laws were a box-ticking exercise. Sadly, the new ones could be too

For a quarter century, Australia’s environment laws were widely regarded as not fit for purpose. In 2020, a scathing review by Professor Graeme Samuel found the Environment Protection and Biodiversity (EPBC) Act was ineffective and unfit for future environmental challenges.

The Conversation

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NBL boss cleared but Hawks won't give up fight

Basketball Australia has finalised its investigation into NBL owner Larry Kestelman following a formal complaint from one of the league's clubs.

AAP

Grattan on Friday: when the music stopped, Greens had out-stepped flat-footed Liberals on environment deal

Come dance with me! That was Environment Minister Murray Watt’s invitation to the opposition as he prepared to push through his reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

The Conversation

Labor to rule out controversial ‘national interest’ exemption for coal and gas if Greens back nature laws

Exclusive: Concession follows fierce criticism of the workaround but may not be enough to convince minor party

The Guardian - AU

Graeme Samuel calls for Labor to ditch ‘national interest’ workaround for environment laws

Former ACCC chair condemns proposed exemption allowing minister to approve projects that don’t comply with law

The Guardian - AU

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Warning national interest exemption no friend to nature

The author of the review informing the federal government's nature law reforms has taken issue with the public interest override as open to power abuses.

AAP

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Murray Watt on the compromises to pass new environmental laws before Christmas

Finding the best balance between the environment and development is vital but often contested. Renewable energy projects, housing and mining approvals are all important, while Australia’s unique natural environment also requires defence.

The Conversation

Will Labor’s environment laws actually address Australia’s biodiversity crisis? Five reasons to be concerned

Experts say the proposed legislation is full of problems, including excessive ministerial discretion and relaxing like-for-like offset rules

The Guardian - AU

Australia must put politics aside and pass nature laws that benefit the economy and the environment. We owe it to our kids

There’s no such thing as a perfect legislative solution. It’s about finding one that’s workable – for the community, for the economy and for nature

The Guardian - AU

Labor’s environmental law overhaul: a little progress and a lot of compromise

The 25-year-old Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act has been repeatedly criticised for failing to stem Australia’s biodiversity decline. These national laws are meant to protect threatened species and scrutinise some developments over the damage done to ecosystems.

The Conversation

Environment minister could approve projects at odds with nature laws under Labor overhaul

New ‘national interest’ provision revealed as extracts of legislation circulated to stakeholders before bill introduced to parliament later this week

The Guardian - AU

As the Coalition shows its colours on nature, Labor faces a question: will it really protect Australia’s wildlife?

There are some decent elements in what Labor is proposing, but the overhaul could end up as tinkering rather than transformation

The Guardian - AU

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The Guardian - AU

Loss of koala habitat shows ‘total failure’ of nature laws, conservationists say

More habitat has been given up legally in 2025 so far than any other year since the animals were listed as threatened, analysis shows

The Guardian - AU

Tasmanian leaders struggle with a basic fact: environment laws should protect the environment

Nature in Australia’s smallest state is in poor health, but this has been largely ignored by both major parties in the lead-up to the early state election

The Guardian - AU

Environmentalists worry as Labor seeks consensus on new federal nature laws

Environment minister Murray Watt is restarting the process after the government shelved earlier proposed reforms

The Conversation

Can Murray Watt fix Australia’s broken nature laws? First stop, Western Australia

New federal Environment Minister Murray Watt is in Western Australia this week to reboot nature law reform. Reform stalled in the Senate last term, following stiff opposition from the state’s Labor government and mining sector.

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The Conversation

From nuclear to nature laws, here’s where new Liberal leader Sussan Ley stands on 4 energy and environment flashpoints

Sussan Ley has been elected Liberal leader after defeating rival Angus Taylor in a party room vote on Tuesday. Now the leadership question is settled, the hard work of rebuilding the party can begin.

The Guardian - AU

Australian nature: if our laws don’t radically change, environmental degradation will continue

This country has a long history of taking its unique wildlife and landscapes for granted – but what has happened in this term of parliament is remarkable

The Conversation

Australia desperately needs a strong federal environmental protection agency. Our chances aren’t looking good

When Labor came to power federally after almost a decade in opposition, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek pledged to turn around Australia’s worsening environmental woes, from extinctions to land clearing to climate change.

The Conversation

Australia’s nature is in deep crisis. These 3 easy steps would give our new environment laws teeth

The Albanese government’s environmental reforms are likely to feature prominently on federal parliament’s agenda this week. A Senate inquiry into the long-awaited reforms is due to deliver its findings on Monday. Meanwhile, the Coalition is reportedly preparing to oppose the changes, potentially forcing Labor into negotiations with the Greens.

The Guardian - AU

WA mining and media ‘naysayers’ spreading misinformation about nature reforms, Senate hears

Graeme Samuel, who led 2020 review of environmental laws, says ‘I doubt that I’ll be red-faced when we do actually see the laws’

AAP

Take a chill pill, law reviewer tells environmentalists

A staged approach to environmental law reform has conservationists worried but the architect of a review into the matter is confident real change is coming.

The Guardian - AU

Top environmental groups say some of Labor’s new laws could take conservation backwards

Alliance says there’s not enough ambition in proposed laws to prevent extinctions, as promised by the environment minister

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