Federal governments of all persuasions have historically protected and funded Australia’s forest destruction.

The Trans-Pacific Free-Trade Charade

NEW YORK – As negotiators and ministers from the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries meet in Atlanta in an effort to finalize the details of the sweeping new Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), some sober analysis is warranted. The biggest regional trade and investment agreement in history is not what it seems. You will …

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Farm groups furious at Coalition move to restrict environmental challenges

Farm organisations horrified they will be swept up in changes to environmental laws that aim to stop green groups taking legal action against resource projects Angry farm organisations have learned they will be caught by changes to federal environmental laws aimed at stopping “environmental saboteurs” using the courts to delay big projects, but agriculture minister

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Review questions Coalition push to end ‘legal sabotage’ of resources projects

An analysis of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act by progressive think tank the Australia Institute has found only a fraction of the roughly 5500 projects referred since the act’s inception in 2000 have been challenged using “third-party appeal rights”. And of those 5500, only 27 have been the subject of third-party legal appeals. …

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Adani coal mine: Crackdown on green ‘sabotage’ could result in more time in courts, legal experts say

Legal experts say the Federal Government’s plan to stop environmentalists “sabotaging” major projects could actually result in more time being spent in the courts. Earlier this month, legal proceedings by a Queensland environment group forced the Government to reconsider its approval of Adani’s $16 billion Carmichael coal mine because Environment Minister Greg Hunt had not …

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The six big lies in Tony Abbott’s attack on the environment

The Abbott government has revealed plans to repeal a section of Australia’s environment laws that allows green groups to challenge approvals for mining projects and other large developments in the courts. Federal Attorney-General George Brandis said the government would seek to repeal section 487 (2) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and “return …

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Abbott Government’s attack on the environment

UPDATE: 19th September 2015 Malcolm Turnbull has postponed the planned changes to the law that would exclude most enviro groups from challenging bad government development decisions. The Abbott Government’s attack on the environment knows no bounds and is reaching a peak that has even the most conservative minds staggering with disbelief! His coal-obsession has become …

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Trans Pacific Partnership

While the nation argues over the treatment received by footballer Adam Goodes, the Abbott Government is overseas stitching up the secret TPP trade deal that no one wants but the major corporations. Put simply, the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a deal which will agree to allow major corporations that produce chemicals, foods, medicines and …

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TPP negotiations threaten to forcibly commercialise state-owned bodies

The ABC, SBS and Australia Post could lose special regulatory treatment under trade measures being pushed for by the US. Leaked details of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations, published today by WikiLeaks, reveal that the futures of publicly owned enterprises such as Australia Post, the ABC, SBS and state power utilities may be on …

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Australia’s ‘dirtiest’ power station considers ‘clean energy’ biomass burning option

With recent changes to the renewable energy target, the burning of native forest wood waste can once again earn credits for generating clean energy, but there’s dispute about whether burning native forest waste for energy is ‘carbon neutral’. Background Briefing reports. The owners of one of Australia’s oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power stations‚ÄîHazelwood in Victoria’s …

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Native forests can help hit emissions targets – if we leave them alone

The debate over native forest logging has been sparked once again, partly by the government’s successful push for wood burning to be included in the revamped Renewable Energy Target. However, the disagreement over the best way to manage Australia’s 9.4 million hectares of public native forest is thrown into sharp relief by analysis showing that …

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