Renewed calls for environmental reform
There are renewed calls for a new generation of environmental laws in Australia following the news that 96.2% of mining, ports and other infrastructure projects have been approved since the year 2000.
Guardian Australia analysis shows that a further 1.6% of projects have been approved without conditions and just 2.2% have been rejected since the federal Environmental protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act came into force.
In total, just 18 developments have been vetoed, compared with 806 that have been approved.
The subject has been thrust into the spotlight more recently with the recent federal court case brought by a small community group against the planning approval for the Carmichael mine. The application has now been temporarily halted as it is reassessed for its impact on skink and snake.
Critics of the act say that current laws are set up to facilitate development rather than protect the environment.
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