The Bob Brown Foundation says that Prime Minister Albanese cannot ride roughshod over Australia’s national environment laws and condemn the Maugean Skate to extinction in the process by offering a “national interest exemption” to the toxic industrial fish farms in Macquarie Harbour. Under the EPBC act, the Prime Minister doesn’t have the power to issue the exemption himself.

“Only the Environment Minister can make a decision that Macquarie Harbour is exempt under national interest, not a Prime Minister intent on selling out nature to big foreign corporations,” said Alistair Allan, Antarctic and Marine campaigner at the Bob Brown Foundation.

“The Prime Minister would have to appoint himself to the environment portfolio, and pull a move from the Scott Morrison playbook, to offer a national interest exemption himself.”

“Time and time again, Tanya Plibersek has stated she will follow the science and the law, which means she must reject the 2012 approval of industrial fish farming in Macquarie Harbour.”

“We expect that the environment minister will make a decision that fulfils her statutory obligations,” said Alistair Allan.

“Even if the Prime Minister could make this decision alone, it would be appalling for the Prime Minister to use a national interest exemption to support foreign owned mega corporations, not the Australian public and national treasures such as the Maugean Skate.”

“The only national interest here is not letting a unique animal be the first extinction of an animal due to aquaculture, anywhere in the world,” said Alistair Allan.