The Australian Conservation Foundation has welcomed the Greens’ nature policy platform, which outlines a step change in funding for nature and a commitment to reform laws so they genuinely protect nature.
“As a result of three years of wasted opportunities and legislation passed last week at the behest of the salmon farming industry, Australia’s nature laws are now weaker than they were prior to the last election,” ACF’s Chief Executive Kelly O’Shanassy said.
“Stronger nature protection laws must be an urgent priority for all sides of politics in the next parliament if we are to halt and reverse the escalating extinction crisis and accelerate a renewable-powered Australia.
“The destruction of wildlife habitat – which has seen much loved Aussie creatures like koalas and gang gang cockatoos added to the threatened list – continues every day.
“At present, funding for threatened species recovery falls well short of what is required, is not funded beyond 2026 and focuses on just 110 of Australia’s more than 2,200 listed threatened species and ecological communities.
“Investment in ecological restoration will help reverse the decline in Australia’s biodiversity and support land managers who protect and restore habitat on their land.
“ACF backs the calls of First Nations groups for a Land and Sea Country Commissioner so there is an authoritative Indigenous voice to guide the protection and management of natural and indigenous cultural heritage values.
“We welcome the commitment to mandatory nature disclosure laws that would require big business to publicly report on its impact on nature. There is now considerable momentum, here and overseas, for mandatory nature disclosures.
“Australians are presently unable to make sustainable choices when they go to the supermarket, choose a bank, or buy a new t-shirt because Australian businesses make broad sustainability claims without coming clean about their impacts.
“Making companies disclose their impacts on nature in a standardised way will help consumers and investors know what they are getting.
“In coming weeks ACF will issue a scorecard measuring parties’ policies against our national agenda.”