"WA is Nature Positive" - New polling shows massive support in WA for stronger nature laws Responding to new research showing an overwhelming majority of West Australian voters support stronger nature laws to protect the places we love, the Executive Director of the Conservation Council of WA Jess Beckerling said the results show that the WA government and sections of the media are misrepresenting what West Australians want.
Polling of more than 1500 WA voters conducted by Redbridge shows that nearly 4 in 5 West Australians want stronger laws to protect nature (78%) and climate impacts for big projects to be assessed before they’re approved (79%).
It reinforces previous polling from YouGov that found 84% of West Australians want stronger nature laws, nearly identical to the national average (86%).
The new Redbridge polling also finds that three quarters of WA voters support the creation of a federal environmental regulator that is independent of government.
The findings come after a WA government MP previously broke ranks in WA Parliament in September to express concerns about “concerted effort by interest groups at a state and federal level” to hamstring nature law reforms.
WA Premier Roger Cook has repeatedly boasted that the WA Labor government has worked in tandem with major fossil fuel interests to lobby the federal Labor government to delay and weaken the introduction of new environmental protections laws.
It follows the passage last month of WA nature law reforms that will undermine the independence of the WA EPA, and recent changes to the WA government’s regulation of greenhouse gas emissions that will effectively remove any state-based conditions on major polluting projects like Woodside’s Burrup Hub expansion.
Following the release of polling today, Executive Director of the Conservation Council of WA Jess Beckerling said:
“This research should be a wake up call for the WA Labor Government. West Australians strongly support the protection of nature and real action on climate.
“Premier Roger Cook recently bragged that his government was “hunting in packs” with big business to water down and weaken national nature laws. This research shows that the WA Premier has been out of touch with what the overwhelming majority of West Australian voters want.
“The WA government’s anti-nature lobbying has been a massive betrayal of the significant majority of West Australians who love WA’s incredible natural environment and want stronger laws to protect it.
“This research is not surprising. Time and again, ordinary West Australians have stood up in huge numbers to defend forests, coral reefs, wetlands, urban bushland and other special places that make WA such a great place to live. It is in our nature to defend these places and I hope the Premier recognises the strong community sentiment here.
“Recent moves by the WA Government to undermine the independence of the EPA and remove the state government’s role in regulating climate pollution have been alarming.
We are calling on the Premier to listen to the majority of West Australians who want action to protect nature and reduce carbon emissions.
“These numbers highlight the fact that West Australians have been falsely represented by the WA government and some sections of our media. WA voters want strong nature laws.”
ENDS