outside NSW Parliament on Tuesday morning to urge state MPs to vote against a bill that would weaken environmental protections in the state, calling instead for Parliament to focus on funding bushfire support services.
The bill in question, introduced by Planning Minister Rob Stokes, would remove the requirement for planning authorities to specifically consider downstream greenhouse gas emissions when approving development applications for coal mines, making it harder for authorities to block mine developments on environmental grounds.
However, consent authorities would still be required to consider all greenhouse gas emissions in the assessment of mine proposals.
Parliament is set to debate the bill as NSW braces for ‘catastrophic’ bushfire danger, the highest fire danger rating. This is the first time that the greater Sydney region has reached this danger level.
Jacqui Mumford, lead organiser at the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, will speak at tomorrow’s protest after her family home was threatened by bushfires on the weekend.
“On Friday night we went to bed not knowing if our family home would be there in the morning,” she told The Feed.
Mumford said Tuesday’s protest action is an urgent act of solidarity with people affected by the bushfire crisis, calling the proposed legislation “unacceptable at a time when we’re facing climate catastrophe.”
“Now is the time to talk about climate change, when parts of the state are on fire that have historically been rain forest, that have always been too wet for fires to go to.”
“The best way we can show solidarity with these communities is not by sending thoughts and prayers -- it’s by the government taking action on climate change.”
“If enacted, this bill would represent a failure by the NSW Parliament to act meaningfully on climate change.”
Lawyers for Climate Justice Australia (LCJA) have criticised the legislation Parliament is set to debate on Tuesday, urging members of the public to write to MPs and tell them to oppose the bill.
The bill also removes the ability of planning officials to impose conditions on mines that relate to environmental impacts occurring outside of Australia, for example conditions requiring coal to be exported only to countries which have signed the Paris Climate Agreement.
“Essentially, the bill is unnecessary and would assist mining interests to continue to profit financially at the expense of the global environment,” the LCJA wrote in an open letter.
LCJA co-founder Karen Dyhrberg and NSW Environmental Defenders Office CEO David Morris told The Feed they were concerned about the legislation being rushed without adequate consultation.
“I think it is fair to say there hasn’t been community consultation on these proposed reforms,” Morris said.
"There doesn't seem to be any necessity for this. It does feel like a knee-jerk response to pressure from the mining industry.”
The Bill follows several significant legal decisions in NSW which saw proposed coal mines at and blocked on environmental grounds. The Minerals Council of NSW has been lobbying for changes to the planning system following these refusals.
By the time of publishing, Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes, did not respond to questions from The Feed about why the legislation was rushed, and whether lobbying from the mining industry prompted the bill.
In a statement, Stokes said “the NSW Government’s climate policy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 has not changed.”
“Decision-makers are required to consider greenhouse gas emissions when assessing mining proposals, alongside other environmental, economic and social factors.”
“This bill simply provides procedural certainty about how extraterritorial impacts can be dealt with in the conditioning of NSW planning approvals.”
