Senator Pocock Proposes Amendments to Strengthen Environmental Laws
KNA- 22 Nov 2025
Canberra Australia;
Australia faces ongoing biodiversity decline, with the country recognised as a global leader in mammal extinctions and the only developed nation considered a deforestation hotspot.
In response, ACT Independent Senator David Pocock has outlined proposed amendments to the Albanese Government’s Environment Protection Reform Bills following a series of consultations. Roundtables were attended by representatives from NGOs, industry groups, scientific organisations, and legal bodies, with evidence also gathered during Senate inquiry hearings.
Senator Pocock indicated that the feedback suggested substantial changes are needed to ensure the legislation effectively protects the environment while providing certainty for business. A total of 15 amendments have been proposed and communicated to the Prime Minister and Minister Watt, with support for the bills offered contingent upon their adoption.
Senator Pocock stated that reforming environmental laws is “critical and long overdue” and urged the government to take the necessary time to ensure the legislation achieves its objectives. He added that the decline of nature has widespread implications, and future generations will assess how Parliament responds.
The proposed changes are intended to make the laws more effective in halting biodiversity loss while balancing economic and industry considerations.
Senator Pocock has developed a detailed series of 15 proposed changes designed to strengthen the laws.
Amendments Senator David Pocock is proposing:
- Remove the carve out that excludes Regional Forest Agreements from the laws.
- Remove the carve out for land clearing under the continuations of use and prior authorisation exemptions.
- Tighten the national interest test in line with recommendations made by Professor Graeme Samuel in his submission to the inquiry into the bill, and exclude fossil fuel projects from the test.
- Remove subjectivity in tests around the application of National Environmental Standards and scientific criteria.
- Legislate a requirement and timeframe to deliver a National Environmental Standard for First Nations engagement and a National Environmental Standard for Community consultation.
- Provide safeguards to ensure that offsets are only used where like-for-like offsets are demonstrably available.
- Remove the ability of the Minister to devolve approval powers to states and territories.
- Provide safeguards around the streamlined approvals process and exclude fossil fuel projects from that approval pathway.
- Establish a duty for the minister to consider the impact of projects on climate change.
- Limit the ruling power in the bill to procedural clarifications only and explicitly prohibit rulings from overriding or substituting for Standards or formal accreditation processes.
- Remove the 28 day limit on reconsideration requests and reinstate the Minister’s power to reconsider a determination older than five years.
- Improve and clarify the definitions of unacceptable impact and net gain to provide greater certainty and ensure adequate protection of the environment.
- Establish a truly independent National EPA with an independent board and a CEO appointed by the board.
- Stop work orders should be open to review and appeal, ensuring the stop work orders remain in force during the review and appeal process.
- Increase flexibility around sunset periods for non-controlled actions.
Source: media of Senator David Pocock / Website
