A Senate inquiry into the rate of faunal extinction in Australia has found the country needs new environmental laws and a new federal environment protection agency to be established.
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A Senate committee recently published the report which found the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act had not been significantly reformed since it was created 20 years ago.
"There is also no independent institution to administer and oversee Australia's framework for environmental approvals and compliance," it said.
"Without new environmental legislation, Australia will continue to struggle to address the current rates of faunal extinction in the future."
Hearings in Tasmania this year discussed the impact of feral cats on endangered Tasmanian species.
The independence of the state's Environmental Protection Authority was questioned with some green groups concerned about its freedom from political interference.
Tasmanian Environment Minister Elise Archer said the government was confident the state body provided "professional and frank advice."
"We have complete confidence in Tasmania's EPA and the state government's environmental regulatory functions and we do not support a duplicated EPA at a national level," she said.
Tasmanian Liberal senator Jonathon Duniam, who was a member of the committee, dismissed the recommendation for a national environment protection body and described it as "Labor-Green stitch up".
"This recommendation is premature and purely political," he said.
