‘Alarming’ report Scott Morrison didn't want you to see
An “alarming” report card is set to be released next month after the Morrison government sat on it for five months.
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A national report card is set to paint a “pretty alarming” picture of Australia’s environment when it’s released next month, Tanya Plibersek has warned.
The new Environment Minister will release the 2021 State of the Environment report next month when she fronts the National Press Club on July 19.
Former minister Sussan Ley received the report last December and ignored calls to release it ahead of the election.
Ms Plibersek said she could see why the Morrison government sat on the report.
“It's not great,” she told ABC RN.
“I’m working my way through it at the moment and there’s a reason that the Morrison government didn’t want to release this report before the election.
“It tells a story of a decade of neglect of the environment and it’s a pretty alarming picture, frankly.”
The five-yearly scientific assessment looks at 12 environmental areas: air quality, biodiversity, climate, coasts, extreme events, heritage, Indigenous knowledge, inland water, land and marine and urban environments, and Antarctica.
Ms Plibersek has previously said the review will help mould Labor’s plans to strengthen Australia’s environmental laws.
Her move from the education portfolio to environment shocked many when announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last month.
Ms Plibersek is now responsible for deciding whether to allow major fossil fuel developments that require assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act.
Asked how Labor could support gas fracking with the government’s commitment to the health of the environment, Ms Plibersek said there needed to be an “accommodation” between addressing climate change and growing a strong economy.
“I‘m not going to start commenting on individual projects, but I will say that we are capable as a nation of having a strong, growing economy and stronger environmental protections,” she said.
Originally published as ‘Alarming’ report Scott Morrison didn't want you to see
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