2025-01-21
The Greens say a new report from the Australian Conservation Foundation reveals the shocking scale of habitat destruction under the Albanese Government, with the equivalent of 92 Sydney CBDs being cleared in 2024 - double that of 2023.
Key Points from ACF Report:
-
Approved destruction of koala habitat tripled in 2024
-
The Albanese government approved the destruction of the equivalent to 92 Sydney CBDs - 25,000 hectares of threatened species habitat
-
2,751 hectares of habitat for ‘critically endangered’ species was approved to be destroyed, affecting 17 critically endangered species and ecosystems
-
42 more species and ecosystems were added to the threatened species list and a further 14 were moved to a category closer to extinction
-
100% of assessment decisions about fossil fuel projects were approvals
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is Spokesperson for the Environment and Senator for South Australia:
“Koalas are already endangered and they will become extinct unless the destruction of their homes is stopped.
“These numbers don’t lie: huge-scale habitat destruction is killing koalas, trashing Australia’s environment, threatening endangered species - and it's getting worse
“No Minister or Government should be allowing the logging or bulldozing of critical koala habitat. Every time the clearing of koala habitat is approved it pushes koalas closer to extinction.
“The pledge for ‘no new extinctions’ is a joke given threatened species habitat destruction doubled last year. The Albanese Government has backed the bulldozers and the fossil fuel polluters while our planet pays the price. We know that Peter Dutton would be even worse.
“This election, voting Green is a vote to save our forests and the koala. It’s time to end native forest logging and put a moratorium on the destruction of critical habitat.
“In a minority-parliament the Greens will push Labor to do better and will fight to protect our wildlife from extinction and protect our climate.”