Op-Ed: Sustainability must mean more

Labor has done a backroom deal with the Greens to sell out Tasmanian jobs. By rewriting Australia's key environmental law, the EPBC Act, they've put the environment ahead of livelihoods.

Kingborough Chronicle 09 Dec 2025

The Huon News 10 Dec 2025

Labor has done a backroom deal with the Greens to sell out Tasmanian jobs. By rewriting Australia’s key environmental law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, they’ve put the environment ahead of livelihoods. Stronger protections for nature are important. No one disputes that. But the question Tasmanians are asking is: at what cost to jobs, investment, and our communities?

Sustainability must mean more than locking up land. It’s about balance, protecting the environment while supporting local economies and livelihoods. In Tasmania, industries like forestry and salmon farming aren’t just economic drivers; they’re part of who we are. These reforms put that at risk.

The changes include a new taxpayer-funded National Environmental Protection Agency, legally binding National Environmental Standards, and a “net gain” requirement for developments. They sound good in theory. But in practice, they mean more bureaucracy, more delays, and more uncertainty for projects that create jobs and keep regional communities strong.

One of the biggest shifts is scrapping exemptions for Regional Forest Agreements. From July 2027, native forestry will fall under federal control, ending decades of state-based management. That’s not just a policy tweak, it’s a direct threat to jobs and confidence in an industry that has operated sustainably under state frameworks.

Salmon farming, critical to Franklin and the Huon, is facing new challenges. It’s already one of the most heavily regulated sectors in Australia, but recent concerns about antibiotic use during disease outbreaks have put the industry under intense scrutiny. These farms support families, fund local services, and underpin regional economies, but community trust depends on transparency and responsible practices. Canberra must avoid undermining an industry that is striving to improve.

The Coalition backs strong environmental standards. But they must be practical and fair, not a system that drives investment offshore and leaves Tasmanians behind. Even renewable energy and housing projects could be strangled by red tape under this new regime.

Tasmania needs an approach that protects our beautiful natural environment without sacrificing jobs. That means listening to local voices and working with communities, not imposing one-size-fits-all rules from Canberra. These reforms risk tipping the scales too far. Tasmanians deserve balance: environmental responsibility and social and economic reality, side by side. And they also deserve a government that doesn't do a deal with the Greens to sell out local industry, yet that's exactly that the Albanese Labor Government has done.