Sussan Ley: I'll be an environmentalist as minister

The new environment minister, Sussan Ley, has declared herself an “environmentalist”, saying she is prepared to fight for the environment around the cabinet table even when colleagues disagree with her.

Environment Minister, Sussan Ley.

Ley, who welcomed the Queensland government’s decision on Thursday to give the green light to the Adani coalmine, told Guardian Australia she wanted to see more action on recycling, threatened species and biodiversity protection, and a greater focus on individual action to achieve a better environment.

But in the lead-up to a 10-yearly review of the country’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, Ley has also flagged that she wants approval times for major projects cut, has left the door open to lifting the country’s ban on nuclear power, and has questioned whether land clearing is responsible for species loss.

Read the story from The Guardian by Sarah Martin - “Sussan Ley: I'll be an environmentalist as minister.”

(Minister Ley's claim that she wants to "cut red tape" and so reduce approval times for major projects is code for ignoring environmental matters, the very issues she is meant to represent - Robert McLean)