Graeme Samuel has urged the Coalition and Greens to set aside grievances with the Albanese government’s new nature laws and support them, avoiding further delays in fixing a system that his landmark review found was broken.

The author of the 2021 review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act issued a stern message to both sides as Labor braces for a political fight to deliver the long-awaited reforms.

Samuel reserved his strongest words for the Coalition, whose now leader Sussan Ley commissioned the review when she was environment minister in the Morrison government.

“I don’t know what’s going on at the moment,” the former competition watchdog told Guardian Australia.

“It frustrates me and it makes me a bit angry. What we are talking about here is the future of nature for our children, our grandchildren and great grandchildren.”

After introducing the laws to parliament later this week, the environment minister, Murray Watt, will face an uphill battle to get it through the Senate after the Coalition and the Greens ruled out supporting it in its current form.

The opposition’s push to split the bill into two parts, prioritising measures to fast-track projects while delaying environmental protections, was immediately rejected by Watt as well as the Business Council of Australia (BCA) on Monday.

“We favour having everything on the table at the same time, and we think that that approach assures us the best basis for getting the right balanced outcome that ultimately secures benefits to the environment and for business,” said the BCA’s chief executive, Bran Black, whose lobby group represents Woodside, BHP and Rio Tinto.

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Samuel said he was “puzzled” at the opposition’s proposal, given the review he originally prepared for Ley recommended starting with the development of national environmental standards as the “foundation stone”.

He noted the Coalition also opposed the previous iteration of Labor’s EPBC reform when it was split into stages.

“I can’t figure it out,” he said. “I don’t know what sort of games people are playing up here.”

Samuel also had a message for the Greens, which are refusing to back Labor’s proposal without specific measures to address climate change and native forest logging.

“I’d say to the Greens that here is an opportunity to have a major reform and it takes you a long way forward of the current position,” he said. “I hate to say it but it’s that well worn phrase of ‘don’t let perfect be the enemy of good’.”

The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, dismissed Samuel’s message after Guardian Australia invited her to respond.

“I’m sorry Mr. Samuels isn’t happy that people aren’t picking up his report and turning it into gospel, but the Greens will always fight for nature and for an end to forest logging,” she said.

Samuel was in parliament house on Monday in his capacity as chair of an airline industry group, but said MPs had reached out to discuss EPBC reforms.

The government was on Monday circulating the remaining pieces of the legislation to stakeholders ahead of the bill’s introduction later this week.

The remaining parts include the powers of the proposed environment protection agency – details of which were published on Sunday.

The shadow environment minister, Angie Bell, was expected to be briefed early on Monday afternoon.

Speaking earlier on ABC RN Breakfast, Bell said “at this point in time, this bill is not workable.”

While the business council was critical of Ley’s attempt to split the bill, Black said industry had several concerns with the legislation, including a new definition for “unacceptable impact” on the environment, the EPA’s powers to issue “stop-work” orders to halt projects and new emissions reporting requirements.

Black confirmed industry wanted the Coalition to strike a deal with Labor to pass the laws, sidelining the Greens.

Watt has so far only ruled out a “climate trigger”, leaving the door open to changes to address industry’s concerns.

“What we’re about is passing a bill that is good for the environment and good for business, and it’s up to the Coalition and the Greens to decide are they prepared to do that or are they going to go into their corners and fight for a bill that only delivers to the environment or only delivers to business?” he said.