With climate trigger axed Labor wants to rush new environmental laws through after ‘positive’ talks with Coalition

Proposed timeframe leaves 12 days to scrutinise most significant changes to national environmental protection regime since 1999

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The environment minister wants to pass a major re-write of federal nature laws this year, encouraging miners to lobby the Coalition to work with Labor to help rush it through parliament in the final three sitting weeks.

Murray Watt relayed the message in private talks with mining industry leaders in Perth this week after giving a speech promising faster project approvals under a planned overhaul of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act).