Reeled in: activists battle industrial fishing off Aust
Operating from a small inflatable boat, the activists confronted a European Union-flagged industrial fishing vessel, which had just left the Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea, where it fished for 160 days last year, according to Greenpeace.
The action comes ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in France, as activists warn Australia's oceans face growing threats from climate change, habitat loss, and industrialisation.
Leaders from the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Greenpeace are urging the federal government to honour its climate commitments at the upcoming conference.
They also called for the establishment of the Global Ocean Treaty within the first 100 days of government and the proposal of large marine sanctuaries, including in the Tasman Sea, where activists recently intercepted a large fishing vessel.
Georgia Whitaker, senior campaigner for Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said the scale of industrial fishing on the high seas is "astronomical."
During the rescue operation, she said activists witnessed "shark after shark being hauled up by industrial fleets, including three endangered sharks in just half an hour".
Activists retrieved an entire fishing line, including more than 210 baited hooks from the vessel including an endangered longfin mako shark, eight near-threatened blue sharks and four swordfish.
"These longliners are industrial killing machines. Greenpeace Australia Pacific took peaceful and direct action to disrupt this attack on marine life," Ms Whitaker said.
"We saved important species that would otherwise have been killed or left to die on hooks."
Greenpeace said they have been documenting longlining vessels and practices off Australia's east coast, including from Spain and China over the past three weeks.
More than two-thirds of sharks worldwide are endangered, and a third of those are at risk of extinction from overfishing, according to 2024 report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Environmental activists have intercepted an industrial longline fishing operation off the coast of Australia, seizing hundreds of baited hooks and releasing more than a dozen of marine animals, including an endangered shark.
Operating from a small inflatable boat, the activists confronted a European Union-flagged industrial fishing vessel, which had just left the Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea, where it fished for 160 days last year, according to Greenpeace.
The action comes ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in France, as activists warn Australia's oceans face growing threats from climate change, habitat loss, and industrialisation.
Leaders from the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Greenpeace are urging the federal government to honour its climate commitments at the upcoming conference.
They also called for the establishment of the Global Ocean Treaty within the first 100 days of government and the proposal of large marine sanctuaries, including in the Tasman Sea, where activists recently intercepted a large fishing vessel.
Georgia Whitaker, senior campaigner for Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said the scale of industrial fishing on the high seas is "astronomical."
During the rescue operation, she said activists witnessed "shark after shark being hauled up by industrial fleets, including three endangered sharks in just half an hour".
Activists retrieved an entire fishing line, including more than 210 baited hooks from the vessel including an endangered longfin mako shark, eight near-threatened blue sharks and four swordfish.
"These longliners are industrial killing machines. Greenpeace Australia Pacific took peaceful and direct action to disrupt this attack on marine life," Ms Whitaker said.
"We saved important species that would otherwise have been killed or left to die on hooks."
Greenpeace said they have been documenting longlining vessels and practices off Australia's east coast, including from Spain and China over the past three weeks.
More than two-thirds of sharks worldwide are endangered, and a third of those are at risk of extinction from overfishing, according to 2024 report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Environmental activists have intercepted an industrial longline fishing operation off the coast of Australia, seizing hundreds of baited hooks and releasing more than a dozen of marine animals, including an endangered shark.
Operating from a small inflatable boat, the activists confronted a European Union-flagged industrial fishing vessel, which had just left the Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea, where it fished for 160 days last year, according to Greenpeace.
The action comes ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in France, as activists warn Australia's oceans face growing threats from climate change, habitat loss, and industrialisation.
Leaders from the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Greenpeace are urging the federal government to honour its climate commitments at the upcoming conference.
They also called for the establishment of the Global Ocean Treaty within the first 100 days of government and the proposal of large marine sanctuaries, including in the Tasman Sea, where activists recently intercepted a large fishing vessel.
Georgia Whitaker, senior campaigner for Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said the scale of industrial fishing on the high seas is "astronomical."
During the rescue operation, she said activists witnessed "shark after shark being hauled up by industrial fleets, including three endangered sharks in just half an hour".
Activists retrieved an entire fishing line, including more than 210 baited hooks from the vessel including an endangered longfin mako shark, eight near-threatened blue sharks and four swordfish.
"These longliners are industrial killing machines. Greenpeace Australia Pacific took peaceful and direct action to disrupt this attack on marine life," Ms Whitaker said.
"We saved important species that would otherwise have been killed or left to die on hooks."
Greenpeace said they have been documenting longlining vessels and practices off Australia's east coast, including from Spain and China over the past three weeks.
More than two-thirds of sharks worldwide are endangered, and a third of those are at risk of extinction from overfishing, according to 2024 report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Environmental activists have intercepted an industrial longline fishing operation off the coast of Australia, seizing hundreds of baited hooks and releasing more than a dozen of marine animals, including an endangered shark.
Operating from a small inflatable boat, the activists confronted a European Union-flagged industrial fishing vessel, which had just left the Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea, where it fished for 160 days last year, according to Greenpeace.
The action comes ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in France, as activists warn Australia's oceans face growing threats from climate change, habitat loss, and industrialisation.
Leaders from the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Greenpeace are urging the federal government to honour its climate commitments at the upcoming conference.
They also called for the establishment of the Global Ocean Treaty within the first 100 days of government and the proposal of large marine sanctuaries, including in the Tasman Sea, where activists recently intercepted a large fishing vessel.
Georgia Whitaker, senior campaigner for Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said the scale of industrial fishing on the high seas is "astronomical."
During the rescue operation, she said activists witnessed "shark after shark being hauled up by industrial fleets, including three endangered sharks in just half an hour".
Activists retrieved an entire fishing line, including more than 210 baited hooks from the vessel including an endangered longfin mako shark, eight near-threatened blue sharks and four swordfish.
"These longliners are industrial killing machines. Greenpeace Australia Pacific took peaceful and direct action to disrupt this attack on marine life," Ms Whitaker said.
"We saved important species that would otherwise have been killed or left to die on hooks."
Greenpeace said they have been documenting longlining vessels and practices off Australia's east coast, including from Spain and China over the past three weeks.
More than two-thirds of sharks worldwide are endangered, and a third of those are at risk of extinction from overfishing, according to 2024 report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
No agreement on international rules for deep sea mining
Delegates from around the world could not agree on a set of rules for deep sea mining at a council meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston. Environmental organisations such as Greenpeace see the failure to agree on a "mining code" as a success for the protection of oceans. "The ISA has shown backbone - and stood up to the deep-sea mining industry and governments such as the US under (President Donald) Trump," Greenpeace marine biologist Franziska Saalmann said. There is still no globally accepted set of rules for deep sea mining, in which so-called manganese nodules in particular are mined on the bed of the high seas, in international waters. Many countries and environmental organisations are calling for a moratorium in view of the risks to the barely explored ecosystems. The annual meeting of the ISA Assembly also started in Kingston on Monday and will run until July 25. All states parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are automatically members of the ISA Assembly, which comprises 169 states and the European Union. The assembly's focus will be on fundamental issues relating to the protection of the sea. Observers such as environmental organisations and expert bodies are also participating. It is important to make it clear "that the deep sea is not a legal vacuum for industrial fantasies, but a global natural heritage that deserves protection," Saalmann said. In March, an initiative by Canadian company The Metals Company (TMC) came under fire. The company wants to obtain permission to mine in international waters through a partnership with the United States, which is not a UNCLOS signatory. Many states see this as an attempt to circumvent the ISA. TMC is planning to mine raw materials in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the eastern Pacific, where large quantities of manganese nodules containing nickel, cobalt and copper lie on the seabed. The metals are valuable for manufacturing products such as batteries for electric cars. The ISA has launched an investigation into the company. Delegates from around the world could not agree on a set of rules for deep sea mining at a council meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston. Environmental organisations such as Greenpeace see the failure to agree on a "mining code" as a success for the protection of oceans. "The ISA has shown backbone - and stood up to the deep-sea mining industry and governments such as the US under (President Donald) Trump," Greenpeace marine biologist Franziska Saalmann said. There is still no globally accepted set of rules for deep sea mining, in which so-called manganese nodules in particular are mined on the bed of the high seas, in international waters. Many countries and environmental organisations are calling for a moratorium in view of the risks to the barely explored ecosystems. The annual meeting of the ISA Assembly also started in Kingston on Monday and will run until July 25. All states parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are automatically members of the ISA Assembly, which comprises 169 states and the European Union. The assembly's focus will be on fundamental issues relating to the protection of the sea. Observers such as environmental organisations and expert bodies are also participating. It is important to make it clear "that the deep sea is not a legal vacuum for industrial fantasies, but a global natural heritage that deserves protection," Saalmann said. In March, an initiative by Canadian company The Metals Company (TMC) came under fire. The company wants to obtain permission to mine in international waters through a partnership with the United States, which is not a UNCLOS signatory. Many states see this as an attempt to circumvent the ISA. TMC is planning to mine raw materials in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the eastern Pacific, where large quantities of manganese nodules containing nickel, cobalt and copper lie on the seabed. The metals are valuable for manufacturing products such as batteries for electric cars. The ISA has launched an investigation into the company. Delegates from around the world could not agree on a set of rules for deep sea mining at a council meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston. Environmental organisations such as Greenpeace see the failure to agree on a "mining code" as a success for the protection of oceans. "The ISA has shown backbone - and stood up to the deep-sea mining industry and governments such as the US under (President Donald) Trump," Greenpeace marine biologist Franziska Saalmann said. There is still no globally accepted set of rules for deep sea mining, in which so-called manganese nodules in particular are mined on the bed of the high seas, in international waters. Many countries and environmental organisations are calling for a moratorium in view of the risks to the barely explored ecosystems. The annual meeting of the ISA Assembly also started in Kingston on Monday and will run until July 25. All states parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are automatically members of the ISA Assembly, which comprises 169 states and the European Union. The assembly's focus will be on fundamental issues relating to the protection of the sea. Observers such as environmental organisations and expert bodies are also participating. It is important to make it clear "that the deep sea is not a legal vacuum for industrial fantasies, but a global natural heritage that deserves protection," Saalmann said. In March, an initiative by Canadian company The Metals Company (TMC) came under fire. The company wants to obtain permission to mine in international waters through a partnership with the United States, which is not a UNCLOS signatory. Many states see this as an attempt to circumvent the ISA. TMC is planning to mine raw materials in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the eastern Pacific, where large quantities of manganese nodules containing nickel, cobalt and copper lie on the seabed. The metals are valuable for manufacturing products such as batteries for electric cars. The ISA has launched an investigation into the company. Delegates from around the world could not agree on a set of rules for deep sea mining at a council meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston. Environmental organisations such as Greenpeace see the failure to agree on a "mining code" as a success for the protection of oceans. "The ISA has shown backbone - and stood up to the deep-sea mining industry and governments such as the US under (President Donald) Trump," Greenpeace marine biologist Franziska Saalmann said. There is still no globally accepted set of rules for deep sea mining, in which so-called manganese nodules in particular are mined on the bed of the high seas, in international waters. Many countries and environmental organisations are calling for a moratorium in view of the risks to the barely explored ecosystems. The annual meeting of the ISA Assembly also started in Kingston on Monday and will run until July 25. All states parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are automatically members of the ISA Assembly, which comprises 169 states and the European Union. The assembly's focus will be on fundamental issues relating to the protection of the sea. Observers such as environmental organisations and expert bodies are also participating. It is important to make it clear "that the deep sea is not a legal vacuum for industrial fantasies, but a global natural heritage that deserves protection," Saalmann said. In March, an initiative by Canadian company The Metals Company (TMC) came under fire. The company wants to obtain permission to mine in international waters through a partnership with the United States, which is not a UNCLOS signatory. Many states see this as an attempt to circumvent the ISA. TMC is planning to mine raw materials in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the eastern Pacific, where large quantities of manganese nodules containing nickel, cobalt and copper lie on the seabed. The metals are valuable for manufacturing products such as batteries for electric cars. The ISA has launched an investigation into the company.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
No agreement on international rules for deep sea mining
Delegates from around the world could not agree on a set of rules for deep sea mining at a council meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston. Environmental organisations such as Greenpeace see the failure to agree on a "mining code" as a success for the protection of oceans. "The ISA has shown backbone - and stood up to the deep-sea mining industry and governments such as the US under (President Donald) Trump," Greenpeace marine biologist Franziska Saalmann said. There is still no globally accepted set of rules for deep sea mining, in which so-called manganese nodules in particular are mined on the bed of the high seas, in international waters. Many countries and environmental organisations are calling for a moratorium in view of the risks to the barely explored ecosystems. The annual meeting of the ISA Assembly also started in Kingston on Monday and will run until July 25. All states parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are automatically members of the ISA Assembly, which comprises 169 states and the European Union. The assembly's focus will be on fundamental issues relating to the protection of the sea. Observers such as environmental organisations and expert bodies are also participating. It is important to make it clear "that the deep sea is not a legal vacuum for industrial fantasies, but a global natural heritage that deserves protection," Saalmann said. In March, an initiative by Canadian company The Metals Company (TMC) came under fire. The company wants to obtain permission to mine in international waters through a partnership with the United States, which is not a UNCLOS signatory. Many states see this as an attempt to circumvent the ISA. TMC is planning to mine raw materials in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the eastern Pacific, where large quantities of manganese nodules containing nickel, cobalt and copper lie on the seabed. The metals are valuable for manufacturing products such as batteries for electric cars. The ISA has launched an investigation into the company.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Every month we waste has a cost. The time is now to protect what is uniquely Australian
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. 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.
