NSW Environmental "Policies" Failing On Multiple Fronts; Climate Fund Bankrolls Land Clearing
The NSW coalition government is failing on most of its environmental policies, including robbing a key climate fund to bankroll land-clearing and leaving 10 marine regions unprotected, according to eight green groups.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her new environment minister, Gabrielle Upton, have inherited a mix of policies that are "taking us backwards", with the container deposit scheme and efforts to improve energy efficiency among the few positives, according to a mid-term review led by the NSW Nature Conservation Council. "It speaks volumes that there's been four ministers of the environment in six years," said Kate Smolski, the council's chief executive. "We do not think the coalition government takes the environment seriously."
The issues raised include contentious land-clearing codes that will see farmers paid $240 million for conservation efforts on their land to counter destruction of vegetation elsewhere. Ms Smolski said it was "laughable" that the funds will be largely drawn from the Climate Change Fund levied from consumers and earmarked for emissions cuts and climate adaptation.
Also highlighted was the slowdown to "a trickle" of new land for national parks with just 15,000 hectares added to the estate since 2011, and the failure to restore protection for 10 of the 30 marine sanctuary zones covered by a supposedly temporary amnesty by Premier Barry O'Farrell in 2013. "This is a drop of roughly one-third in the area protected in our marine parks and as such is a major backwards step on marine protection," Kevin Evans, chief executive of the NSW National Parks Association, said. "We're also waiting for a Sydney Marine Park to protect the Hawkesbury Shelf bioregion."
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http://www.smh.com.au/environment/taking-us-backwards-nsw-governments-environment-policies-under-fire-from-green-groups-20170323-gv4k3i.html