Environment

Australia is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth — but right now, we’re a global leader in extinctions and deforestation.

Iconic species like the koala are being pushed closer to extinction, and an MCG-sized area of bushland is being bulldozed every two minutes.

Decades of Labor and Liberal governments have left our nature laws broken and underfunded.

While the major parties hand billions in subsidies to polluters and big developers, they’ve slashed protections and greenlit destruction.

Nature can’t wait any longer.

The Greens' plan:

• Invest 1% of the Federal Budget to protect and restore nature, doubling current environment spending and delivering an extra $17 billion over the next four years.
• End native forest logging and close deforestation loopholes to save remaining bushland and critical habitat.
• Place a moratorium on clearing koala habitat to stop this iconic species from vanishing.
• Introduce a climate trigger to assess the environmental impact of mines and developments.
• Establish a $5 billion Protected Areas Fund to expand and protect high-biodiversity regions, including World Heritage protection for the Great Australian Bight.
• Deliver $20 billion for biodiversity restoration over the next decade — including threatened species recovery, invasive species control, and river and habitat rehabilitation.
• Create a Land and Sea Country Commissioner, an independent First Nations voice to guide environmental protection and embed Indigenous cultural heritage values.
• Mandate nature risk disclosure for businesses and governments to plan better and prevent future harm.

Many Australian consumers want to make environmental choices when they buy their everyday products or services, but currently, businesses can lie or exaggerate their ecological credentials.

Australia was once a leader in consumer protection, yet we are now lagging behind much of the world regarding greenwashing. 

The Greens led a Senate Inquiry into greenwashing in this Parliament, and it is clear that in the face of climate and biodiversity crises, businesses in every industry must do their part to reduce their environmental impact. 

A ban on greenwashing will encourage this behaviour and improve consumer trust and information, stamping down on businesses' and governments' false and misleading environmental claims.

The Greens' plan:

• Make greenwashing illegal through updated consumer and corporation legislation that includes: 
  • Standardised definitions of commonly used environmental terms; 
  • Clear requirements that business must meet to make an environmental claim;
  • Independent verification and certification of environmental claims; and
  • Penalties for those who do not comply.
• Implement mandatory nature-related financial disclosure, requiring businesses to monitor, assess and transparently disclose their impacts on biodiversity.

Australia is the driest populated continent on Earth, and yet we use more water per person than most other countries in the world.

While the Greens were able to secure critical protections for the Murray Darling Basin in balance of power, there is currently no federal regulation of other precious water resources, and all over the country, we see this abused, with big cotton and fracking companies being handed out dangerous amounts of water for free.

As the climate crisis worsens, strengthening Australia’s water security is critical for the future of our ecosystems, communities, and economies, which are so reliant on it.

The Greens' plan:

• Re-establish and expand the remit of the National Water Commission to regulate and safeguard our precious water resources.
• Spend $300 million installing greywater recycling systems in Australian households and community spaces to save precious water and reduce household costs.
• Provide $200 million to rehabilitate major rivers and lakes in Australian cities to be clean enough to swim in within the next decade. This funding would invest in water treatment, environmental clean-up and stormwater harvesting.