The Morrison Government must not walk away from science and evidence based decision making when it comes to our environment and threatened species.
 
Recommendations from the Craik Review into the interactions between the EPBC Act and the agriculture sector, released yesterday, propose a number of changes.
 
The recommendations included changing the composition of the Threatened Species Scientific Committee and assessing the potential social and economic impacts when deciding if a particular species should receive a greater level of protection, in order to prevent extinction.
 
The Morrison Government needs to think very carefully about the impact of implementing the recommendations of this Review, and the message it would send to Australians if science and evidence was to take a back seat.
 
Farmers and the agricultural sector have a wealth of knowledge in land use management and conservation and we must partner with them effectively in protecting our environment.
 
Australia faces huge challenges as a million species are under threat across the globe. Given the extinction crisis, the last thing Australia needs is more anti-science thinking from the policy bereft Morrison government.
 
FRIDAY, 28 JUNE 2019