Australian nature: if our laws don’t radically change, environmental degradation will continue | Adam Morton

The Environment, Despite Being the Culprit, Still Missing in Political Draft

In the ongoing political chatter surrounding Australia’s abandoned, promised nature protection laws, one element’s voice remains significantly muted: the environment itself.

This isn’t just a recent anomaly; it’s part of Australia’s long-standing pattern of taking its unique wildlife and landscapes for granted, dating back to European settlement. However, the current government’s actions are a fresh twist on this old tale.

In an unexpected turn, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the shelving of plans to establish a national Environment Protection Agency (EPA) before the election. This, despite the government’s pre-election pledge to do so. It’s not the first time Albanese has reneged on a nature protection promise, having previously abandoned plans to rewrite and replace the 1999 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, despite widespread agreement on its failings.

The implications of this failure are stark and well-documented. The 2021 State of the Environment report, released by Labor’s Tanya Plibersek, revealed that Australia has lost nearly 8 million hectares of forest and other habitat relied on by threatened species this century. More than 90% of this destruction occurred without federal oversight, cumulatively leading to a "poor and deteriorating" state of nature.

According to the report, more than 2,000 species nationwide are at risk of extinction, including iconic animals like the koala and the greater glider. The primary culprits? Habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, resource extraction, and, overshadowing all, the climate crisis.

These findings echo the recommendations of a 2020 review by former consumer watchdog chair Graeme Samuel, who called for dramatic overhauls and the creation of national environmental standards. Bizarrely, these standards don’t exist yet.

Albanese’s defense for his U-turns is more political expediency than environmental concern. His focus seems to be on winning elections, not protecting the environment. Meanwhile, nature continues to decline, and both major parties seem content to let this slide under the radar.