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Nature laws are changing

In December 2025, the Australian Parliament passed changes to the country's federal nature protection laws. This was a hard-fought win that only happened thanks to a decade of campaigning and incredible people power.

Among the most notable changes was the tightening of a loophole that previously allowed the agricultural sector to bulldoze protected ecosystems without the same checks and balances as other industries.

Now, the new law mandates that bulldozing of bushland that's over 15 years old must first be assessed and approved by the federal government if it's likely to have a 'significant impact' on a protected species, like koalas, quolls or black cockatoos, or on protected plants and ecosystems, like the Great Barrier Reef.

However, despite this change in law, ACF's Investigations team has found evidence that this type of bulldozing is still happening without federal approval being sought first. You can read more about the cases of illegal bulldozing we've found here.

Environment Minister Watt himself has said that "These reforms will deliver tangible benefits for the environment and protect what is precious." But the fact that bulldozing is still occurring in places it shouldn't be shows that unless these laws are understood by the people they affect and are meaningfully enforced, we won't be able to turn the tide of environmental destruction in this country.

That's why we need your help!

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Resource pack

Everything you need to take action — briefing notes, evidence cases and the email template.

What's inside

What can I do?

We need everyday Australians to get in front of their local MPs to ask them what they are doing to protect Australia's forests and wildlife from bulldozers.

We've prepared a collection of satellite imagery of the cases of deforestation we've found that showcase potential breaches of Australia's new national environment laws.

Help us get these in front of your local MP by either arranging for a formal meeting or making an unplanned visit to their office and bringing them along!

The reforms to our national nature laws that were passed last year were huge and the government was very proud that they had put forward a package that they said would protect nature. Now, we need to hold them to their word and make sure this legislation delivers what was promised!

Politicians receive a lot of emails and letters. But when a local voter takes the time to personally call or visit face-to-face, they're much more likely to listen. It's a critical part of democracy that the people we elect to represent us do just that and now that we are keeping them to their word. MPs need to hear from ordinary Australians, not just industry lobbyists. They represent you and should want to hear your views – not just take your vote.

Personalise this page

Choose your MP and we'll tailor these resources to them

To request a meeting with your MP, you should email or phone their office. The contact details for your local MP can be found on their website, or social media.

You may need to make multiple attempts to arrange a meeting; don't be dismayed if your MP is proving difficult to get hold of! Be polite but persistent.

Be sure to let your ACF Community Organiser know that you're meeting with your MP so that we can brief you and pass on any advice! If you aren't an existing member of an ACF Community Group, reach out to us at community@acf.org.au.

We know meeting with your MP could sound daunting, but they are there to represent you, and generally love the opportunity to hear about what people in their electorate care about.

We've prepped some resources to help you.

Before you speak with your MP

This is a systemic issue, not about naming individual landholders

Many landholders may not know about the changes to national nature law. Some have sought state approval and were not told they may also need federal assessment. Focus your conversation on education, accurate information and enforcement.

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When we've contacted landowners about the potential illegal bulldozing we've detected on their property, most have told us they don't know about our national nature protection law (the EPBC Act) or the recent changes made to it.

In many cases, these landholders sought and received approval for the bulldozing from their state governments. Even after engaging with their state government, they've not been advised about their obligations under the national nature law or, worse yet, been told they don't need to worry about it.

This results in threatened ecosystems being bulldozed, and farmers left unaware, stressed or confused about whether they may have inadvertently broken the law. That's not working for anyone.

We are not sharing exact locations of these properties nor naming the landholders involved, as this is not helpful to what we're seeking to achieve. Instead, our goal is to bring attention to - and put pressure on - the Albanese Government to address systemic bulldozing caused by years of poor enforcement of the national nature law, and the failure to effectively communicate landowners' updated responsibilities following the December changes to the Act.

We have already referred two of these cases to the federal government and are awaiting expert advice on how best to approach the third case.

The key message is clear: the Albanese Government must prioritise targeted, accessible education for landholders to understand their updated obligations. It must also ensure the States and Territories are providing complete and accurate information to farmers, so our new national laws can do what they were designed to do.

At the same time, the Albanese Government must enforce the national nature law and make it clear that every industry is expected to abide by the rules.

We've listed the ways in which Australia's updated nature laws can protect the bush in our 'Briefing note – protecting nature from bulldozers', and you can read more about the cases of deforestation we've found here.

What are we asking for?

We're asking for the federal government to do four things to ensure that our new national nature laws can meaningfully turn the tide on environmental destruction in this country. These are:

  • 1

    Support landholders to comply

    Education must be afforded to landholders so they can understand their updated obligations under the changed law. This includes ensuring state governments are providing accurate information to landholders.

  • 2

    Enforce the law to protect wildlife from bulldozers

    The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water must be given a mandate to take enforcement action. Cracking down on those who break the law sends the clear message that compliance by the agriculture sector is expected, just like it is from every other industry.

  • 3

    Set up the National Environment Protection Agency to enforce the law

    For better compliance and enforcement of the national nature law, the National Environment Protection Agency needs substantial and ongoing funding. This must be accompanied by a strong culture of enforcement and new powers like the ability to issue 'stop work' orders and hand down tougher penalties.

  • 4

    Create National Standards with strong rules to protect wildlife and bushlands

    These rules must make it clear what's in and what's out. The Standards must outline upfront how threatened plants, animals and ecosystems need to be protected under the national law.

You can find these outlined in our ‘From words to action: Protecting Australia’s wildlife, forests and the Great Barrier Reef from the bulldozers’ Briefing Note. Please print this and bring it along to your MP meeting or drop off.

Frequently asked questions

Why won’t we give further details on the bulldozing cases?

This bulldozing is a sign of a systemic failure and education gap on the part of the government to inform landowners of their updated responsibilities now that the laws have changed. This is our main focus. 

Most farmers are good custodians of nature. They care for plants, animals, soil and water on their properties, and they understand the value of keeping nature healthy. The movement for a thriving, sustainable, and adaptive Australian agriculture industry - which nurtures landscapes, supports communities and rewards farmers engaging in best-practice stewardship - is growing, and we firmly want to be part of it.

When we’ve contacted landowners about the potential illegal clearing we’ve detected on their property, most have sought permission from their State governments, and some have even been incorrectly advised that they don’t have to refer their bulldozing for assessment under the national nature law.

This results in threatened ecosystems being bulldozed, and farmers left either unaware, stressed or confused about whether or not they may have inadvertently broken the law.

We are not sharing exact locations of these properties nor naming the landholders involved, as we don’t believe that would be helpful. We have already referred two of these cases to the federal government and are awaiting expert advice on how best to approach the third case.

How did we source the images?

Our Investigations team analysed satellite imagery which revealed that bulldozing had occurred. This has been cross-referenced with tools such as the Protected Matters Search Tool, vegetation data and species records, to confirm the mapped presence of protected plants, animals and ecosystems on that property. We then engage with the landholders and document the destruction via drone photography.

Can I help find more cases of potentially illegal deforestation?

From now until the 25th of May, we are running our citizen-science project ACF Investigates, which empowers an online community of nature lovers to uncover hidden deforestation by classifying satellite imagery and gathering data on their phone or desktop. Together, our ACF investigators have:

  • Scanned an area of Australian forest bigger than the size of Denmark for signs of land clearing
  • Helped stop bulldozers from destroying an area of critically endangered woodland in the Hunter Valley in NSW without approval
  • Exposed evidence of dozens of cases of potentially illegal bulldozing that ACF has since reported to State and Federal governments
  • Uncovered links between deforestation and the big banks that we have since used to back our corporate campaigns work where we take the fight for nature to the boardrooms

Sign up to be part of ACF Investigates today!