New South Wales Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean has called on the federal government to implement a so-called “green cop” to monitor national environment laws.
This comes after a review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act called for a federal independent regulator. However, the recommendation was rejected by federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley.
“There are a number of sensible recommendations in there which get the balance right between the need to grow our economy and also to protect our environment, and I think we should follow those recommendations,” Mr Kean told Sky News.
“There is no point having strong environmental protections if they are not going to be enforced.
“And the community needs to have confidence that the laws are going to be enforced, that’s why you have an independent cop on the beat.
“We’ve done it in New South Wales and I think it would be a great legacy for a Coalition government in Canberra to implement a similar program.”
