A major overhaul of Australia's environment laws has a rocky road ahead as it faces fierce criticism from the coalition and the Greens.

Labor plans to bring debate over environmental policy to a head in the next fortnight when it introduces the reforms into federal parliament.

The proposal currently on the table would create a new national environmental watchdog, which the government claims would better protect natural sites and speed up the approval of crucial housing, energy and infrastructure projects.

Fines for companies that broke the law would be increased to as much as triple the financial benefit they gained by breaching the regulations.

Businesses seeking approval for new projects would also need to outline the expected emissions from the development and have a plan to reduce

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