Languishing nature laws a missed opportunity

Languishing nature laws a missed opportunity amid Australia’s extinction crisis

Reforms to Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act will not proceed this year according to media reports.

BirdLife Australia have been strongly urging the Albanese Government to seize the once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform the EPBC Act to halt the decline of Australian wildlife and ecosystems.

“Australia’s extinction crisis will worsen without urgent reform,” said Kate Millar, BirdLife Australia CEO.

“Australians will be rightly appalled that their calls for action over decades to protect beloved species and places have gone unheard.

“Two years ago, the Albanese Government made a commitment to end Australia’s extinction crisis and announced an ambitious Nature Positive Plan. Today, it has become clear the Western Australian and Federal Governments have failed to resist the pressure of vested interests and the 2022 promise of no more extinctions will be broken.

“In Western Australia, a recent poll by Senator David Pocock shows West Australians do support nature law reform.  We stand by Mundaring Council in challenging the recent federal decision to clear critical feeding habitat for endangered Carnaby’s Cockatoos north of Perth. Local communities across the country are standing up against the destructive activities that are enabled by our broken nature laws. The same flaws will lead to the destruction of the last remaining habitat of South Australia’s Endangered Eyre-Peninsula Southern Emu-wren. The list goes on.

“The track-record of destructive approvals shows that birds and nature are paying the ultimate price while the Government neglects these reforms.

“It’s bitterly disappointing that we still can’t rely on the government to fully protect nature in Australia, despite the promises they have made.

“At BirdLife Australia, we are continuing to call for the change we desperately need, but we’re not waiting around for it to happen; with one in six Australian birds facing the threat of extinction, we can’t afford to. We know what needs to be done, and we’ll continue protecting birds and restoring nature with the support of the Australian community.”  — Kate Millar, BirdLife Australia CEO.

“Governments that do not honour their promises to protect nature so comprehensively, despite strong community support, are failing both people and our precious Australia birds.”

BirdLife Australia Media Enquiries: Please contact James Johnson on 0423 659 324 or at media@birdlife.org.au