Regulation bonfire is a smokescreen

The Australian Greens say Tony Abbott is trying to burn up important protections in his so-called regulation bonfire.

"When Tony Abbott has a bonfire of regulations he hides his true agenda in the smoke," Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

"The Prime Minister's rhetoric on this repeal day is all about storytelling and hiding help for his mates. Many of these changes are routine review of redundant regulations, but there are some very bitter pills.

"Cutting red tape is the ordinary business of government. Changing 1,000 laws without enough time to examine each one is extraordinary and consistent with this government's secretive and destructive agenda.

"Coal seam gas and mining in the Murray Darling has been of grave concern to everybody and now this mass-repeal will get rid of the requirement for companies to do an independent environmental impact assessment on water. This is a big tick to his big-business mates, but a huge loss to communities and the safety of drinking water.

"We're watching childcare closely because of changes mooted in the PM's speech. We haven't seen the regulations, yet we know Tony Abbott's true agenda is to unwind the national quality framework. The Greens are concerned that taking away reporting requirements will affect the ability to measure the level of quality operating at individual centres.

"With this package, the Abbott government is also reopening the door to the kind of dodgy advice that led to many people investing in plantations replacing agricultural land. This was a policy disaster and cost Australians millions.

"There are thousands of regulations we're going to have to look through forensically to identify Tony Abbott's bitter pills that will hurt people and the environment."