Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is rewriting our national environment laws by reforming the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, and will soon invite the public to share their opinions on what should be included. This consultation process is our chance to ensure that water, Country, and climate has strong protection now and in the future.

We need climate damage from coal and gas developments to be considered in the very Act which assesses them, just as the Environment Minister is required to consider the impacts a fossil fuel project will have on threatened species or water resources. Australia’s national environmental law has so far approved 740 fossil fuel projects - that’s 99.9% of coal and gas proposals.

With over 116 coal and gas projects waiting for approval, this is the year Labor must decide whether to open the flood gates to climate chaos, or to stand up for communities and the environment by stopping new coal and gas.