Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Senator Conroy. Last week Sir David Attenborough and 32 other world renowned UNEP Global 500 laureates begged the Australian government to retain its power to protect Australia's national environment and not to delegate it all to the states. They said the government should 'avoid, at all costs', the devolution of the government's environment powers. This comes on the heels of Tim Flannery's Quarterly Essay, which predicts a second wave of species extinctions throughout Australia. How is the government's handover of federal environmental powers to Campbell 'we're in the coal business' Newman and Barry 'shooters in national parks' O'Farrell going to prevent this extinction crisis?