Govt to overhaul environmental laws

The federal government has announced a major overhaul of Australia's environmental laws, which it says will better protect the environment while also being kind to business.
Environment Minister Tony Burke on Wednesday formally outlined his plans to rework the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, which was created in 1999.
He said the changes, the act's first major overhaul, will cut red tape and improve environmental impact assessments, so they're quicker and covered by a new set of national standards.
The government has committed to setting up a single national list of threatened species, rather than having multiple jurisdictional registers.
It's also vowed to improve the regulation of heritage listings and the international trade in wildlife.
"These reforms will help to ensure Australia's national environmental laws remain effective in protecting our unique environment," Mr Burke said in a statement.
"It sets out a new national approach to the protection of Australia's environment and biodiversity."
It's a win-win for the environment, businesses and regulatory services, he said.
The changes adopts either fully or in part 56 of the recommendations handed down in Allan Hawke's independent review, and rejects 15.
Dr Hawke, a former senior public servant, completed his review in December 2009.
Dr Hawke's first recommendation advised the government to start anew and replace the old act with one named the Australian Environment Act.
But the government said drafting an entirely new act would be cumbersome and insisted the EPBC Act was still effective.
It also rejected Dr Hawke's suggestion that it revise the act's primary aims, saying the gist of all its objectives are already in the EPBC Act.
Humane Society International welcomed the overhaul but said the government had got several things wrong.
It was most upset with the government's handing over much of its control to the states and territories, urging caution on plans to "streamline" and cut "red tape".
"Quite frankly, critical habitats for threatened species need to be wrapped up in a lot more red tape," the organisation's Nicola Beynon said.
"In fact, if we are to avoid extinctions, the minister needs to install clauses into the EPBC Act that flash a big red light to development that diminishes these critical places."
The organisation also criticised the government for not reinstating the public's right to appeal environmental decisions.