Tell the Minister: Don’t Give Alcoa a New Exemption

Act now – submissions close Wednesday 17 June 2026

The WA Environment Minister has revoked Alcoa’s Exemption Order — but has opened a public comment period for a new exemption order, that would allow the US mining giant’s destruction of the Northern Jarrah Forest to continue without pause. We must demand that does not happen.

What you can do right now:

1. Write to Minister Swinbourn and call on him to let the exemption expire permanently.
2. Tell him why — you can use the facts below as your reasons.
3. Contact your local and federal MPs and ask them to demand the same.

What is at stake

More than a hundred different bird species rely on the Northern Jarrah Forest.[1] Three of them are threatened black cockatoos, each of which depends on this irreplaceable forest for survival.

Vulnerable Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso), our endangered Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo (Zanda latirostris) and Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo – which is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Baudin’s are critically dependent on the Northern Jarrah Forest. The forest provides essential breeding and foraging habitat where they feed on the seeds of mature marri and jarrah trees.

Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo populations have declined by 90% in just 40 years, driven primarily by habitat loss.[2]

The Northern Jarrah Forest matters

Baudin’s are just the tip of the iceberg. The Northern Jarrah Forest is:

• One of 36 global biodiversity hotspots recognised for high endemism and critical threat
• A vital source of Perth’s drinking water
• A stronghold for many of our more common birds
• A foundation for nature-based tourism
• A defining feature of Perth’s identity

Alcoa’s track record is deeply concerning:  

• Unlawfully cleared Jarrah Forest: The Federal Government confirmed that the US mining giant had unlawfully cleared parts of the Northern Jarrah Forest for years.
• Failure to rehabilitate: In over 60 years of mining, more than 28,000 hectares of Northern Jarrah Forest – equivalent to 70 Kings Parks – have been cleared without a single hectare successfully rehabilitated to the WA Government’s own criteria.
• Dishonest advertising: Ad Standards Australia found that Alcoa’s advertisement claiming it had rehabilitated 75% of the forest it had cleared breached 4 of the 5 standards of the Environmental Claims Code.
• Failure to make critical black cockatoo data accessible: Alcoa failed to make its black cockatoo compliance data publicly accessible in a timely manner, as required under its Exemption Order conditions.
• Breaches cockatoo nesting buffer zones allegedly: Alcoa was required to maintain a 10-metre buffer around cockatoo nesting trees. Greens MLC Jess Beckerling referred a potential breach of this condition to the WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation in December 2025. The tree in question — reported to be approximately 400 years old — has since died.

Future generations, and Australia’s beloved black cockatoos, are counting on you.

Please submit your comment by Wednesday 17 June 2026.

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[1] https://www.dbca.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-02/Fact%20sheet%20-%20Biodiversity%20(PDF%202.28MB).pdf

[2] https://birdlife.org.au/news/media-release-was-black-cockatoos-face-extinction-as-alcoa-seeks-massive-forest-clearance/?srsltid=AfmBOoq2zguIT7rarvpV3fgChWCnxxeqFsqDoADEUXhI2fyifupvSnT-

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