Mining in nature reserves, logging in national parks, dredging in marine parks -- the places and wildlife we love are under threat from reckless state governments.
Big businesses are demanding that our national environment laws -- the laws that protect our special places and wildlife -- be weakened by allowing state governments to have the final say on matters of national environmental importance.
We've already seen what this looks like -- state governments in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria are allowing their national parks to be opened up to logging, shooting, mining, grazing and dredging.
Federal governments have a proven history of success in leadership on our environment. Without the important federal role in project approvals, the Great Barrier Reef, The Daintree Rainforest and Fraser Island would have all been destroyed.
State governments have shown they cannot always be trusted to protect the places and wildlife that we love.
We need all political parties to stand up for strong environmental laws.
Will you join us in writing to the political parties?
Dear Mr Hunt/Mr Butler/Ms Waters,
I am writing to you today to ask you to make strong commitments to environmental protection through strengthening our national environmental laws.
These laws protect our iconic landscapes -- reefs, rainforests, bush land, beaches and the wildlife that call these ecosystems home.
These laws not only protect the places and wildlife we love, they protect our national identity. The places and wildlife we love give us collective meaning, provide us with the basic elements by which to live and we have a duty to protect them.
Our national environment laws need to be stronger, not weaker, and I want to see our federal Government take its responsibility to protect the national environment seriously.
Federal governments have a proven history of success on our environment. Without the important federal role in project approvals, the Great Barrier Reef, The Daintree Rainforest and Fraser Island would have been irreparably damaged.
By ensuring that the federal government keeps its leadership role in project approvals, you can make a commitment to strengthening our national environment laws.
You can make sure this commitment is permanent by removing the clause allowing for approval bilateral agreements under federal environment law.
Please stand up for the places and wildlife we love.
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