I am grateful for the…

I am grateful for the opportunity to submit comments on this proposal. There are aspects that are potentially beneficial to the protected of endangered species, but it is imperative that sound science-based conservation be at the forefront of decisions made under this act.

Ministers are politicians and should definitely not be given direct power to control decisions which would normally be under the jurisdiction of a separate body such as COSSARO.

Section 4 is a point of concern. It can be economically beneficial to be able to pay into this conservation trust in some circumstances where money would previously be spent on remediation where it is not feasible. However, there are considerations to be made for populations which are significant genetically, culturally, etc. These kind of decisions should be made with conservation of species as the highest priority, with economic considerations being an occasional exception, not the other way around.

Thank you for your time and consideration.