Every month we waste has a cost. The time is now to protect what is uniquely Australian
The Prime Minister personally committed to creating strong, new nature laws early in his term - a moment of hope.
Australians want to protect the nature and wildlife that make our country special - animals like the platypus that have to be seen to be believed, and places like the Great Barrier Reef that exist nowhere else on earth.
So many of us, including the prime minister, grew up with nature. We owe it to our kids to make sure they can see a koala in the wild or swim among coral reefs.
Seven in 10 Australians say the federal government must do more to protect and restore nature; 86 per cent back stronger federal nature laws; and 96 per cent fear further extinctions without urgent reform.
Labor has the authority - and responsibility - to act.
With a strong majority and a fresh mandate, the government can deliver what voters have long called for: credible laws that actually protect nature.
After 25 years in operation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) has failed to stem broad-scale deforestation or halt wildlife decline. Many species are now in even greater danger.
Stronger protections would prove Labor's climate-and-nature promise is real.
Graeme Samuel's independent review of the EPBC Act has already supplied the blueprint: binding National Environmental Standards; an independent, well-resourced regulator to enforce them without fear or favour, and up-to-date environmental data to support clearer, faster decisions.
It's time to close loopholes that allow native forest logging and broadscale land clearing - and to bring climate squarely into our nature laws.
Time matters.
In the 25 years of our existing laws, a staggering 7.7 million hectares of threatened species habitat have been destroyed - that's the size of Tasmania.
In the five years since the Samuel Review, koalas have been declared endangered in NSW.
In the past year, Ningaloo and the Great Barrier Reef have bleached, and South Australia's marine life is dying from climate-fuelled ocean heatwaves.
Drafting instructions are on the shelf. The election is behind us. The parliamentary setting is favourable. Political will is what remains.
Passing the full Nature Laws package would give communities confidence that unique ecosystems aren't bargaining chips. Clear, modern rules would also give businesses certainty.
Every month of drift has a cost: more habitat lost, more projects stalled, more investment on hold. Delay is expensive.
MORE OPINION:
But decisive reform pays off. Strong, consistent standards reduce duplication, shorten approval times for projects that meet the bar, and give communities confidence that fragile ecosystems are protected.
Our three organisations-the Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace Australia Pacific and WWF-Australia- know the country is ready for effective and enforceable nature laws.
Together, we represent millions of Australians who want this continent's unique wildlife to thrive alongside a regenerative economy.
The choice is clear, the opportunity is real, and the reward belongs to every Australian who values living landscapes and a safe climate.
The window to deliver is still open.
Miss it, and we inherit a legacy of stalled progress and rising extinctions. Seize it, and we unlock investment, protect nature, and set Australia on a path to a thriving, low-carbon future.
The blueprint is ready. The public is watching. The cost of inaction grows daily.
Pass the laws. Set the standards. Let this hundred-day mark stand for progress, not pause.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will soon mark the first 100 days of his renewed mandate. The first hundred days of any government offer a glimpse of what the next three years may hold. They signal what matters.
The Prime Minister personally committed to creating strong, new nature laws early in his term - a moment of hope.
Australians want to protect the nature and wildlife that make our country special - animals like the platypus that have to be seen to be believed, and places like the Great Barrier Reef that exist nowhere else on earth.
So many of us, including the prime minister, grew up with nature. We owe it to our kids to make sure they can see a koala in the wild or swim among coral reefs.
Seven in 10 Australians say the federal government must do more to protect and restore nature; 86 per cent back stronger federal nature laws; and 96 per cent fear further extinctions without urgent reform.
Labor has the authority - and responsibility - to act.
With a strong majority and a fresh mandate, the government can deliver what voters have long called for: credible laws that actually protect nature.
After 25 years in operation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) has failed to stem broad-scale deforestation or halt wildlife decline. Many species are now in even greater danger.
Stronger protections would prove Labor's climate-and-nature promise is real.
Graeme Samuel's independent review of the EPBC Act has already supplied the blueprint: binding National Environmental Standards; an independent, well-resourced regulator to enforce them without fear or favour, and up-to-date environmental data to support clearer, faster decisions.
It's time to close loopholes that allow native forest logging and broadscale land clearing - and to bring climate squarely into our nature laws.
Time matters.
In the 25 years of our existing laws, a staggering 7.7 million hectares of threatened species habitat have been destroyed - that's the size of Tasmania.
In the five years since the Samuel Review, koalas have been declared endangered in NSW.
In the past year, Ningaloo and the Great Barrier Reef have bleached, and South Australia's marine life is dying from climate-fuelled ocean heatwaves.
Drafting instructions are on the shelf. The election is behind us. The parliamentary setting is favourable. Political will is what remains.
Passing the full Nature Laws package would give communities confidence that unique ecosystems aren't bargaining chips. Clear, modern rules would also give businesses certainty.
Every month of drift has a cost: more habitat lost, more projects stalled, more investment on hold. Delay is expensive.
MORE OPINION:
But decisive reform pays off. Strong, consistent standards reduce duplication, shorten approval times for projects that meet the bar, and give communities confidence that fragile ecosystems are protected.
Our three organisations-the Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace Australia Pacific and WWF-Australia- know the country is ready for effective and enforceable nature laws.
Together, we represent millions of Australians who want this continent's unique wildlife to thrive alongside a regenerative economy.
The choice is clear, the opportunity is real, and the reward belongs to every Australian who values living landscapes and a safe climate.
The window to deliver is still open.
Miss it, and we inherit a legacy of stalled progress and rising extinctions. Seize it, and we unlock investment, protect nature, and set Australia on a path to a thriving, low-carbon future.
The blueprint is ready. The public is watching. The cost of inaction grows daily.
Pass the laws. Set the standards. Let this hundred-day mark stand for progress, not pause.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will soon mark the first 100 days of his renewed mandate. The first hundred days of any government offer a glimpse of what the next three years may hold. They signal what matters.
The Prime Minister personally committed to creating strong, new nature laws early in his term - a moment of hope.
Australians want to protect the nature and wildlife that make our country special - animals like the platypus that have to be seen to be believed, and places like the Great Barrier Reef that exist nowhere else on earth.
So many of us, including the prime minister, grew up with nature. We owe it to our kids to make sure they can see a koala in the wild or swim among coral reefs.
Seven in 10 Australians say the federal government must do more to protect and restore nature; 86 per cent back stronger federal nature laws; and 96 per cent fear further extinctions without urgent reform.
Labor has the authority - and responsibility - to act.
With a strong majority and a fresh mandate, the government can deliver what voters have long called for: credible laws that actually protect nature.
After 25 years in operation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) has failed to stem broad-scale deforestation or halt wildlife decline. Many species are now in even greater danger.
Stronger protections would prove Labor's climate-and-nature promise is real.
Graeme Samuel's independent review of the EPBC Act has already supplied the blueprint: binding National Environmental Standards; an independent, well-resourced regulator to enforce them without fear or favour, and up-to-date environmental data to support clearer, faster decisions.
It's time to close loopholes that allow native forest logging and broadscale land clearing - and to bring climate squarely into our nature laws.
Time matters.
In the 25 years of our existing laws, a staggering 7.7 million hectares of threatened species habitat have been destroyed - that's the size of Tasmania.
In the five years since the Samuel Review, koalas have been declared endangered in NSW.
In the past year, Ningaloo and the Great Barrier Reef have bleached, and South Australia's marine life is dying from climate-fuelled ocean heatwaves.
Drafting instructions are on the shelf. The election is behind us. The parliamentary setting is favourable. Political will is what remains.
Passing the full Nature Laws package would give communities confidence that unique ecosystems aren't bargaining chips. Clear, modern rules would also give businesses certainty.
Every month of drift has a cost: more habitat lost, more projects stalled, more investment on hold. Delay is expensive.
MORE OPINION:
But decisive reform pays off. Strong, consistent standards reduce duplication, shorten approval times for projects that meet the bar, and give communities confidence that fragile ecosystems are protected.
Our three organisations-the Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace Australia Pacific and WWF-Australia- know the country is ready for effective and enforceable nature laws.
Together, we represent millions of Australians who want this continent's unique wildlife to thrive alongside a regenerative economy.
The choice is clear, the opportunity is real, and the reward belongs to every Australian who values living landscapes and a safe climate.
The window to deliver is still open.
Miss it, and we inherit a legacy of stalled progress and rising extinctions. Seize it, and we unlock investment, protect nature, and set Australia on a path to a thriving, low-carbon future.
The blueprint is ready. The public is watching. The cost of inaction grows daily.
Pass the laws. Set the standards. Let this hundred-day mark stand for progress, not pause.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will soon mark the first 100 days of his renewed mandate. The first hundred days of any government offer a glimpse of what the next three years may hold. They signal what matters.
The Prime Minister personally committed to creating strong, new nature laws early in his term - a moment of hope.
Australians want to protect the nature and wildlife that make our country special - animals like the platypus that have to be seen to be believed, and places like the Great Barrier Reef that exist nowhere else on earth.
So many of us, including the prime minister, grew up with nature. We owe it to our kids to make sure they can see a koala in the wild or swim among coral reefs.
Seven in 10 Australians say the federal government must do more to protect and restore nature; 86 per cent back stronger federal nature laws; and 96 per cent fear further extinctions without urgent reform.
Labor has the authority - and responsibility - to act.
With a strong majority and a fresh mandate, the government can deliver what voters have long called for: credible laws that actually protect nature.
After 25 years in operation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) has failed to stem broad-scale deforestation or halt wildlife decline. Many species are now in even greater danger.
Stronger protections would prove Labor's climate-and-nature promise is real.
Graeme Samuel's independent review of the EPBC Act has already supplied the blueprint: binding National Environmental Standards; an independent, well-resourced regulator to enforce them without fear or favour, and up-to-date environmental data to support clearer, faster decisions.
It's time to close loopholes that allow native forest logging and broadscale land clearing - and to bring climate squarely into our nature laws.
Time matters.
In the 25 years of our existing laws, a staggering 7.7 million hectares of threatened species habitat have been destroyed - that's the size of Tasmania.
In the five years since the Samuel Review, koalas have been declared endangered in NSW.
In the past year, Ningaloo and the Great Barrier Reef have bleached, and South Australia's marine life is dying from climate-fuelled ocean heatwaves.
Drafting instructions are on the shelf. The election is behind us. The parliamentary setting is favourable. Political will is what remains.
Passing the full Nature Laws package would give communities confidence that unique ecosystems aren't bargaining chips. Clear, modern rules would also give businesses certainty.
Every month of drift has a cost: more habitat lost, more projects stalled, more investment on hold. Delay is expensive.
MORE OPINION:
But decisive reform pays off. Strong, consistent standards reduce duplication, shorten approval times for projects that meet the bar, and give communities confidence that fragile ecosystems are protected.
Our three organisations-the Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace Australia Pacific and WWF-Australia- know the country is ready for effective and enforceable nature laws.
Together, we represent millions of Australians who want this continent's unique wildlife to thrive alongside a regenerative economy.
The choice is clear, the opportunity is real, and the reward belongs to every Australian who values living landscapes and a safe climate.
The window to deliver is still open.
Miss it, and we inherit a legacy of stalled progress and rising extinctions. Seize it, and we unlock investment, protect nature, and set Australia on a path to a thriving, low-carbon future.
The blueprint is ready. The public is watching. The cost of inaction grows daily.
Pass the laws. Set the standards. Let this hundred-day mark stand for progress, not pause.
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