2025-09-09
Greens respond to Environment Minister Murray Watt’s announcement that he plans to include ‘go’ zones in environment laws.
Quotes attributable to Greens Spokesperson for the Environment, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young:
“We need laws for nature, not just laws for business.
“Make no mistake, a ‘go-zone’ means environmental destruction and more pollution.
“If the Government wants to have credibility on new environment laws, they must protect our native forests and they must stop making the climate crisis worse. We need to stop the logging and stop the pollution.
“It’s all well and good to outline ‘go’ and ‘no-go’ zones but what we really need to know is how the government plans to protect the areas that need protection.
“These are meant to be environmental protection laws, not approval for destruction laws. We need environmental protection first and foremost.
“Any new laws that don’t protect our native forests and critical habitat are not new laws for nature, they are simply going to be laws for business.
“The Greens are willing to work with the Government on this important reform, but we will only support laws that protect nature.
“We’ll look at the detail of the proposal, but we need to see laws that protect the climate and critical habitat, and don’t just make way for big business like coal and gas to make big profits.”