Implement and enforce the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation laws so nature is effectively protected, adopting the recommendations of the Samuel Review and those of the Auditor-General.
Environment & ClimateThe Environment
Environment & Climate · The Democrats’ planWe signed the pledge. The clearing never stopped.
In 2021 Australia signed on to ending deforestation by 2030, but lack of assessment, poor compliance and exemptions mean land clearing continues apace — and Australia is now the only deforestation hotspot among developed nations. Our plan implements and enforces the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation laws, adopts the Samuel Review’s recommendations in full, and lifts protected land and sea to 30 per cent.
93% Of cleared habitat never assessed About 8 million hectares of threatened species’ habitat was cleared between 2000 and 2017, and a 2019 report by leading ecologists found 93 per cent of it was never assessed under the legislation — despite the powers existing to do so.
5in 9 yrs Mass bleaching events on the Reef Large areas of the Great Barrier Reef are now experiencing a fifth mass bleaching in nine years, due to heat stress.
30% Land and sea protected under our plan Up from the current 22.1 per cent in the National Reserve System — with every ecosystem represented, not only the scenic ones.
38 Samuel Review recommendations Adopted in full, together with the Auditor-General’s, to restore a law weakened over time by deregulation and by shifting responsibility to the states.
Fill the map to 30%
Drag from today’s 22.1% to the 30% our plan protects — watch Australia fill.
The plan at a glance
Ensure all ecosystems are represented in protected areas, and put the protected areas of the National Reserve System on the list of matters of National Environmental Significance.
Stop further land-clearing — the clearing for farming, mining and the expansion of urban areas that the 2021 commitment was meant to end — and close the assessment, compliance and exemption gaps that let it continue.
Protect the Great Barrier Reef by addressing the warming caused by burning oil, coal and gas — not with false solutions like carbon credits and offsets, carbon capture and storage, or solar radiation management.
Recognise the relationship Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have in caring for country, give them control of cultural heritage sites including the right to say no, expand the Indigenous Ranger Program, substantially increase funding for post-bushfire on-ground works to save the 119 species identified by the Bushfire Expert Panel, and implement a national invasive species strategy.
A promise vs a plan
The 2021 “State of the Environment” report found “the general outlook for our environment is deteriorating”. Australia has signed the targets; what is missing is assessment, compliance and enforcement.
Signed and ignored — today
- Environment law weakened by deregulation and by shifting responsibility to the states, with enforcement inadequate
- 22.1 per cent of land and sea protected, and not every ecosystem represented
- A fifth mass bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef in nine years, driven by heat stress
- Taxpayers left liable for the cost of cleaning up mining sites
Signed and delivered — our plan
- Environment laws implemented and enforced, with all 38 Samuel Review recommendations and the Auditor-General’s adopted
- 30 per cent protected, every ecosystem represented, and the National Reserve System a matter of National Environmental Significance
- The Reef protected through real climate action, not offsets, carbon capture or solar radiation management
- A national strategy and higher standards for mining site rehabilitation, so the public isn’t left with the bill
The developed world’s only deforestation hot
Australia: the developed world’s only deforestation hotspot
Land clearing stopped, and the 2030 commitment actually enforced
Australia signed on in 2021 to ending deforestation by 2030, yet forests are still being cleared for farming, mining and the expansion of urban areas. Queensland clears the most land, and the Northern Territory is now accelerating its clearing in the absence of vegetation management laws. Lack of assessment, poor compliance and exemptions are why the commitment has not held.
The full policy
Word for word — the platform as our members wrote it.
The Issues
Report after report shows Australia failing to arrest the decline of its natural ecosystems. The Earth’s climate has become dangerously unstable.
Climate warming is bringing severe bushfires, floods, droughts, and heatwaves. This means poor river health, loss of soil fertility and fragmentation of native ecosystems.
The 2021 “State of the Environment” report declared, “the general outlook for our environment is deteriorating”. 2024 looks set to be the hottest year on record.
Large areas of the Great Barrier Reef are now experiencing a fifth mass bleaching event in nine years, due to heat stress. This warming, caused by burning oil, coal and gas, is the greatest threat to the environment and, ultimately, to people.
Population growth, urban development and demand for natural resources, all add to the demise of natural systems.
In 2021 Australia signed on to ending deforestation by 2030 but lack of assessment, poor compliance and exemptions mean land clearing continues apace. Forests are being cleared for farming, mining and expansion of urban areas. Queensland clears the most land but the NT is now accelerating its clearing in the absence of vegetation management laws.
Australia is now the only deforestation hotspot among developed nations.
Our Plan
-
Implement and enforce the Federal Environment Protection, Biodiversity Conservation laws for effective protection of nature and adopt all 38 recommendations of the Samuel Review and those of the Auditor General.
-
Include the protected areas of the National Reserve System on the list of matters of National Environmental Significance
-
Increase protection of land and marine areas in the National Reserve System to 30 per cent (from the current 22.1 per cent):
-
Ensure all ecosystems are represented in protected areas
-
Protect the Great Barrier Reef through climate action
-
Stop further land-clearing
-
Recognise the important relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have in caring for country
-
Reform federal laws to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people control of cultural heritage sites that are of value to them, including the right to say no to action that threatens those sites.
-
Expand the successful Indigenous Ranger Program to meet the needs of a growing number of Indigenous Protected Areas
-
Recognise the interconnectedness of nature and the crucial but misunderstood role of fungi in maintaining healthy ecosystems
-
Implement a national invasive species strategy to prevent weed and pest animal entry or spread.
-
Substantially increase funding for post-bushfire on-ground works, particularly weeding, pest eradication and interventions to save 119 species identified by the Bushfire Expert Panel
-
Progress nominations for World Heritage sites – Flinders Ranges, Parts of Cape York Peninsula, Bunya Mountains extension of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, Great Sandy Extension of the Fraser Island World Heritage area
-
Develop a national strategy and higher standards for mining site rehabilitation so taxpayers are not liable for the costs and outcomes are better for the environment
The Evidence
The Labor Government says it will end extinctions whilst flagrantly authorising new coal and gas projects. The major parties took $2.3 million in donations in 2021-22 from the fossil fuel sector which enjoys more than $10 billion in government subsidies.
Australia is now the third largest exporter of fossil fuels and the 2024-25 budget included income of $9.3 billion, partly driven by record fossil fuel profits.
False solutions like carbon credits and offsets, carbon capture and storage of greenhouse gases and solar radiation management are wasting time and money.
Deregulation, ‘cutting red tape’ and lack of adequate enforcement of the EPBC have led to destruction of natural habitat.
The national Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 was intended to protect Australia’s nationally significant natural assets. The Democrats were successful in strengthening the bill with ~300 amendments. However, over time it has been weakened by deregulation and shifting responsibility to the states. Cumulative impacts are not holistically addressed, there’s a lack of integration between state and federal governments, and not enough is done to improve outcomes for threatened species. Planning, funding and regulatory decisions are not well integrated nor clearly directed towards achieving long-term environmental sustainability.
According to a 2019 report by leading ecologists, ~8 million hectares of threatened species’ habitats were cleared between 2000 and 2017 but 93 percent of these were not assessed under the legislation, despite the powers existing to do so.
The meaning of Nature Positive is to halt and reverse nature loss measured from a baseline of 2020, through increasing health, abundance, diversity and resilience of species, populations and ecosystems so that by 2030 nature is visibly and measurably on the path to recovery. However, the Budget will show it is anything but Nature Positive. The funding is largely for laws and institutions, streamlining approvals processes, assessing project proposals for business, etc.
See here for the budget 2024-25 media release. It now appears that the promised overhaul of the EPBC has been delayed indefinitely thanks to strong lobbying by the business and mining sector.
References
-
Let’s be honest: Australia’s claim to have cut climate pollution isn’t as good as it seems
-
Australia is not doing enough to preserve biodiversity
Make it happen.
Policies like this only become law when enough people push. Push with us.