A decision to move to one-stop environmental approvals has been slammed by Tasmania advocates.
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On Friday Prime Minister Scott Morrison said all states and territories had agreed to assume responsibility for environmental approvals under the proposed changes.
It comes after the release of the interim report into the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, earlier this week.
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The report, written by Professor Graeme Samuel AC, labelled the act inefficient and ineffective.
"Australia's natural environment and iconic places are in an overall state of decline and are under increasing threat," Professor Samuel wrote.
"The current environmental trajectory is unsustainable."
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Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley said the government would adopt several key recommendations made in the interim report, but ruled out establishing an independent regulator.
She said the government would look to establish national environmental standards, commence discussions with states around agreements for one touch approvals, explore market solutions for better habitat restoration and discuss modernising protections for Indigenous heritage.
Forestry watch member Dr Jennifer Sanger, who is also a member of the Tasmanian Independent Science Council, said one stop approvals could lead to projects being forced through by states.
She said an independent regulator was needed to ensure protections were adequate.
"We definitely need an independent organisation that oversees the decision making processes and the fact that they have said no to that is the real concern," Dr Sanger said.
A Tasmanian government spokesperson said they supported the streamlining of environmental approvals to reduce the assessment and approval time frame for projects.
"The Tasmanian government supports the streamlining of environmental assessment and approvals for matters of national environmental significance under the EPBC Act underpinned by national environmental standards," the spokesperson said.
Wilderness Society Tasmanian campaign manager Tom Allen said the federal government's response to the interim report betrayed Australia's heritage.
"The world including Australia and Tasmania is facing multiple environmental threats," he said.
"We are a leader in extinction ... and the way the Morrison government has met this disaster is with an equally disastrous policy response."
The report has been released for consultation. To have your say visit the Department of Environment website.
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