'We are relying on a pinky promise': The problem with the Government moving its environmental powers to states
As the NSW Government descends into chaos over koala protections, the Federal Government is in a scramble trying to hand over its environmental powers to the states. But crucially, Samuel said the deregulation must be built on what he called "national standards" that would ensure state processes protected the environment. In an interview with the ABC last week, Minister Ley said the Government already had a bill "ready" that would set up the framework for national standards and would introduce it soon. "The only bill the Government has shared with Labor is the one they are trying to ram through the Parliament without proper scrutiny, which is a rehash of Tony Abbott's failed 2014 environment bill," said opposition environment spokeswoman Terri Butler. When the Abbott government tried to sign these bilateral agreements — even without national environmental standards — the states pushed back hard, and the Commonwealth approved agreements that didn't meet national procedural standards.
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