One of the most important global meetings on wildlife trade has just wrapped up in Uzbekistan. It’s capital city Samarkand was where governments convened for the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to decide how international trade should be managed for some of the world’s most threatened...
CANBERRA (November 27, 2025)—Humane World for Animals says Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt’s reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, amended in negotiation with the Greens, should give Australian wildlife a “fighting chance” for the future.
Humane World for Animals Australia’s Campaign Director, Nicola Beynon, said: “The reformed laws must be a new chapter for our environment and reset the priority that is given to protecting nature in decision making. We look forward to seeing further details on what has been agreed.”
“Humane World for Animals congratulates the Government and the Australian Greens for negotiating reforms to put Australia’s wildlife on a stronger footing for the future,” continued Ms Beynon.
The Government’s bills proposed a new Environment Protection Agency, new National Environment Standards to guide decision making and requirements for ‘Net Gain’—these are very welcome initiatives. However, critical amendments were needed to address damaging exemptions that would enable protections to be side-stepped.
Humane World is pleased that negotiations with the Greens will see the sunsetting of exemptions for native logging and ‘high risk’ vegetation clearing and the federal government retaining responsibility for the ‘water trigger’.
“However, some streamlining measures and the accreditation of state and territory processes for EPBC decisions still present a significant risk to nature,” said Ms Beynon. “The Government has promised these reforms will be better for the environment so we will be watching these processes very carefully and the Government will be held to account.”
We look forward to further details today and will be available to comment.
Once the bills pass the parliament, the next stage in the reforms will be adopting the National Environment Standards, which are open for public consultation until the end of January.
“The standards are the bedrock of these reforms. They must be strong and put nature first,” said Ms Beynon.
Nicola Beynon was a member of Professor Graeme Samuel’s Consultative Committee during the independent review he undertook of the EPBC Act, which reported to the federal environment minister in October 2020.
Media Contact:
Sam Edmonds, Director, Communications at Humane World for Animals Australia
T: 0436 302 272
E: mediaau@humaneworld.org
