The Australian Conservation Foundation is Australia's national environment organisation. We are proudly independent, non-partisan and funded by donations from our community.
We have media spokespeople who can comment on climate change and energy, nuclear issues, nature protection, wildlife, environment law, sustainable finance and more.
Adam Bandt, Chief Executive Officer. After a decade in the private sector including as a partner in a major national law firm, Adam read climate science. Spurred on by the need to act, he ran for Parliament, was elected as the Member for Melbourne and served there for 15 years, including as leader of the Australian Greens. A believer that people power can change the world, Adam recharges by going camping with his family and hitting the decks as an enthusiastic DJ.
Paul Sinclair, Campaigns Director. Subjects: ACF’s campaigns, renewable energy and protecting nature, how climate change is affecting sport in Australia, fossil fuel sponsorship of sport. Paul has led campaigns that have put water back into rivers, saved and regenerated habitats and wildlife, stopped climate pollution, created renewable energy and drawn public attention to the impact global warming is having on sport. He is the author of The Murray: A river and its people.
Basha Stasak, Nature Program Manager. Subjects: Australia’s extinction crisis, threatened species, environment law reform. Basha is passionate about influencing system change to create positive social and environmental outcomes. Before joining ACF, she worked in state and federal politics, social enterprises, and grassroots organisations.
Gavan McFadzean, Climate & Energy Program Manager. Subjects: climate change, coal and gas mining and exports, renewable energy, the net zero transition. Gavan has been a social justice and environmental activist for 25 years. He has had high-profile roles in national climate and forests campaigns and worked on Jabiluka, the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree, Cape York, the Kimberley and more. He has been a recipient of Wild Magazine’s Australian Conservationist of the Year Award.
Piper Rollins, Climate Campaigner - Methane. Subjects: methane emissions, thermography/optical gas imaging, climate change, coal and gas mining. Piper leads ACF’s methane campaign and works to stop new coal and gas projects in Australia. In conjunction with our investigations team, Piper investigates emissions from coal and gas facilities in Australia. Piper has a background in climate change and environmental campaigning and before joining ACF was a public servant in Western Australia.
Dave Sweeney, Nuclear Free Campaigner. Subjects: uranium mining and mine rehabilitation, nuclear reactors and energy, nuclear weapons, nuclear waste. Dave has been active on mining, resource and nuclear issues for three decades through his work in the media, trade unions and environment groups. He is a founding member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017.
Josie Alec, First Nations Lead. Subjects: First Nations action to protect Country, Songlines, water, air, rock art and connection to place. Josie is a teacher, artist and singer-songwriter. She is a Traditional Owner of Murujuga on the Burrup Peninsula and a co-founder of Save Our Songlines, which works to pass on lore and culture and protect Murujuga from industries that will damage Songlines, rock art, health and the climate.
Jess Abrahams, National Nature Campaigner. Subjects: threatened species, wildlife, ecosystems, environment law, the Platy-project, protected areas, World Heritage Areas, logging, land clearing. Jess is a former Ranger with more than 20 years’ experience campaigning for the protection of forests, rivers, wildlife and marine environments. Jess has worked with local communities and Traditional Owners to create new national parks, stop dangerous mines and restore degraded bushland.
Darcie Carruthers, Nature Campaigner. Subjects: Australian wildlife, the national threatened species lists, invertebrates, the extinction crisis and its causes. Darcie is an animal-obsessed nature lover who is curious about what makes people stand up and protect the natural world we are all part of. She has worked on behaviour change initiatives and led campaigns with corporate and government targets. She regularly speaks to the media about Australia's extinction crisis and the solutions at hand to solve it.
Annika Reynolds, National Climate Policy Adviser. Subjects: climate policy, federal climate and energy law, coal and gas mining and renewable energy policy. Annika is a climate and energy policy expert with a background in law and academia. Before joining ACF, Annika was an adviser at an international climate and energy thinktank and Visiting Fellow at the ANU College of Law.
Nathaniel Pelle, Business & Nature Campaigner. Subjects: land clearing, deforestation, beef industry, carbon border adjustment schemes, nature risks, TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures). Nat leads ACF’s work pushing business to better measure and manage its impact on biodiversity. He knows about marine issues from his previous job leading Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s Oceans and Oil campaigns. Nat is an Honorary Associate of the Sydney Environment Institute.
Brendan Sydes, National Biodiversity Policy Officer. Subjects: nature policy, threatened species, wildlife, ecosystems, environment law, protected areas, World Heritage Areas, logging, land clearing. Brendan is an environmental lawyer with a background in not-for-profit management, policy advocacy and law reform. He was a principal lawyer and founding CEO of Environmental Justice Australia, a non-profit legal practice dedicated to environmental protection.