Thorny nature reforms threaten to entangle new minister

West Australian

17-05-2025

With a reputation as a savvy negotiator, Australia's new environment minister will need all his political nous to navigate the competing interests in the politically fraught portfolio.
Reviving long-promised nature law reforms are top of Murray Watt's to-do list, but that will not be the only challenge of the gig.
The fate of contentious resources projects also await the attention of the Queensland senator, who was picked to replace Tanya Plibersek after she was shifted to the social services ministry.
His most pressing priority will be picking up where his predecessor left off on installing a national environment watchdog and overhauling flawed federal laws at a time when more than 2000 species are listed as threatened.
Laws designed to protect "matters of national environmental significance" from development are considered too weak by some and too stringent by others.
Responding to the 2020 Samuel review that declared the legislation ineffective and outdated, the Albanese government agreed to substantial reform.
But the so-called "nature positive plan" hit a roadblock as the election neared, when a deal Ms Plibersek squared away with the cross bench for a federal environmental protection agency was scuttled by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
He faced criticism for caving to West Australian mining interests but denied the move was done to appease industry.
National co-convenor of the Labor Environment Action Network, Felicity Wade, described the mining industry as "pretty recalcitrant" ahead of the election, before which the coalition was initially tipped to win back a swathe of seats.
"There was a perception that a change of government was possible and their preparedness to be a constructive reform participant evaporated," Ms Wade told AAP.
The Labor group's members are hopeful the party's thumping election victory will bring industry back to the table.
"There are productivity and efficiency gains to be gained through this legislation, but not at the expense of the environment," Ms Wade said.
Early indications suggest the mining lobby also wants the issue on the agenda.
Minerals Council of Australia chief executive officer Tania Constable committed to working collaboratively to reform environmental laws to provide "faster, clearer decisions" after the ministerial reshuffle.
Environmental groups, meanwhile, consider reforms of the "broken" laws long overdue, with Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy calling for the issue to be knocked over in the first 12 months.
"There can be no more delays, caving to lobby groups and carving out industries," she said.
The newly appointed environment minister is no stranger to competing priorities and has delivered on thorny issues before, such as ending live sheep exports.
Australian Council of Trade Unions president Michele O'Neil described Senator Watt as a "frank, fair and skilled negotiator who got things done", based on her dealings with him as workplace relations minister.
"He makes sure he is on top of the detail, listens to varied perspectives and keeps his eye on the objectives," she said.
Senator Watt has already indicated that legislating a federal environment watchdog will be one of the top priorities for the recently returned government, planning a trip to Western Australia in the coming week to meet with the premier and mining figures.
He told The Guardian in a post-appointment interview that he was weighing up ditching the "nature positive" title from its law reform in favour of "terms that Australians can understand and buy into".
The support of the Greens, now under the leadership of Queensland senator Larissa Waters, will still be needed to pass any legislation in the new parliament, unless the coalition can be brought on board.
In the previous term, the minor party fought to broaden the reforms to include climate and forest protections.
But deals with the coalition also cannot be ruled out.
The new opposition leader, Sussan Ley, was the environment minister in the job when the Samuel review was commissioned.
Ms Wade said the opposition leader was "thoughtful" in her response to its findings and made an attempt at legislating national standards.
"Her party limited her ability to act, the million-dollar question is whether they have learnt and will respect the mandate of the Albanese government this time round," she said.
The incoming Greens leader said Labor had a choice between working with the minor party to deliver laws that genuinely protected nature or siding with the coalition to continue the status quo.
"Do they want to do a proper job, or do they want to stick with (former coalition prime minister) John Howard's laws from last century?" Senator Waters said after her appointment to the role.
Australian National University honorary associate professor and Biodiversity Council member Peter Burnett was hopeful Labor remained committed to its environmental protection agenda.
"Now we wait to see if the government announces any change of direction," he said.
Legally enforceable environmental standards were foundational to the reforms and would prevent subjective ministerial decision-making, Assoc Prof Burnett added.
Basing decisions on standards - such as no land clearing in critical habitat for threatened species - and an independent EPA to enforce the rules would temper the potential for political arm-twisting.
He was critical of the way consultation was handled early in Labor's first term, taking too long and ultimately leaving the government short on time to deliver its legislation.
"Now it's the task of the new minister to try and get a major reform through in what is a relatively tight timeframe of a parliament," Assoc Prof Burnett said.