2015-12-16
The huge win for the community campaign to stop the Roe 8 destruction of the Beeliar wetlands has highlighted dangerous inadequacies with the State Environmental Protection authority, the Australian Greens said today.
"Justice Martin's finding that the EPA approval of the Roe 8 project is invalid is a great win for the community campaign that funded the legal challenge, and a great win for the environment the project was set to destroy," Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Senator for WA Scott Ludlam said.
"It's just farcical that it had to come to this. The community needed to take a case to the Supreme Court of Western Australia just to get the EPA to follow its own guidelines.
"The state government seems to believe that the EPA is just a rubber stamp for them to destroy whatever they wish. And without comprehensive reform of the EPA and associated legislation, that could remain the case. It was only the resolve of a phenomenal community campaign that stopped the government from proceeding with the destruction of the Beeliar wetlands," Senator Ludlam said.
"Everyone involved with the Rethink The Link and Save Beeliar Wetlands groups deserves our gratitude and a well-earned break. It's hard work for community groups to do the EPA's job for them. It's time the EPA was fixed so Western Australia's rich environment has the protection it needs.