The Hon. Helen Haines, Independent Federal Member for Indi, Media Release, 3 November 2025

Independent Federal Member for Indi, Dr Helen Haines, will propose key amendments to new environmental laws to be debated in Parliament this week.  

Dr Haines welcomed the re-introduction of reforms to Australia’s environment laws as long overdue, but stressed the need for greater transparency and meaningful community consultation to be embedded in the legislation. 

“These reforms are the most significant changes to Australia’s environment laws in 25 years,” Dr Haines said.

“Our laws must protect nature, give clarity to industry, and provide a clear path for community input and impact to be considered. 

“These new laws move us forward in parts, but give substantial discretionary powers to the minister and fall well short in ensuring genuine community consultation.  

Dr Haines welcomed the inclusion of bioregional mapping in the reforms but said it was imperative that environmental considerations extended to high value agricultural land and drinking water catchments, and would propose amendments to strengthen requirements on developers. 

“Bioregional plans must consider and protect the sustainable maintenance of high value agricultural land and drinking water catchments. 

“I’m drafting amendments to require a National Environment Standard for Community Engagement and Consultation that developers must address. 

“For two years, I’ve been calling for agricultural land to be mapped to identify clear ‘no-go’ zones for large-scale renewable projects and give regional communities certainty. 

“The Government must outline how it will identify these ‘go’ and ‘no-go’ zones, and how they interact with state Renewable Energy Zones. 

Dr Haines said the unacceptable impacts test, which would prevent project that present an “unacceptable impact” on protected environmental matters from being approved, is a welcome move. 

“The unacceptable impacts test is a promising shift, environmental damage must not simply be traded away through offsets. I welcome tougher penalties. No company should treat environmental destruction as a cost of doing business.”  

Dr Haines encouraged the government to work constructively across the Parliament to strengthen the reform. 

“I’ll work in good faith with the Government to ensure the best protections for nature and genuine benefits for regional Australia. This is too important to get wrong.”