Morrison government’s new environment commissioner ‘toothless’, conservation groups say

Proposal criticised for not allowing the auditing of individual decisions about developments or the environment

Conservation groups say a new environmental assurance commissioner proposed by the Morrison government would be effectively toothless" because it would have no power to investigate individual development approval decisions.

They also expressed concern that ministers would have the authority to make decisions that are inconsistent with new national environmental standards if they considered it in the public interest to do so.