Nature lovers' hopes soared in 2022 when the newly minted Albanese government committed to end extinction in Australia.

Finally, it seemed we had a government that could see Australia's nature protection laws were broken and wanted to do something to fix them. They dubbed this the Nature Positive Plan.

Fast forward to 2024, those reforms hang in the balance, as nature lovers and leaders from across the world descend upon Gadigal Land, Sydney for the Global Nature Positive Summit this week.

How could this happen? How could a nation with natural wonders that are the envy of the world, and animals that must be seen to be believed, fail to protect these living treasures from extinction?

This failure is squarely at the feet of the fossil fuel and mining industry who threatened the Prime Minister with political consequences in Western Australia if his government dared to be nature positive by strengthening nature protection laws.

Gina Rinehart, Rio Tinto and several other undisclosed organisations wrote to the Prime Minister in opposition to the nature law reforms - who see stronger nature protections as a threat to their profit margins. The Minerals Council piled on, and these threats were amplified by a series of attacks in Western Australian media.

Disappointingly, the Prime Minister offered to weaken the reforms to gain the support of the Coalition. Unsurprisingly, the Coalition has shown no interest in supporting nature protections, even at the behest of the Minerals Councils which desperately wants to avoid any deal with the Senate crossbench.

So now, the reforms and the future of Australia's incredible wildlife, hang in limbo, when we don't have a moment to lose.

As nature laws linger in the Senate, 30 more species were added to the threatened species list, including lizards, fish, a sea snake, a crayfish and 20 plants, including the Gibraltar Range waratah.

In 2023, just a year after the Albanese government promised to end extinction, more species were added to the threatened species list than in any other year since the list was established. There are now more than 2200 threatened species and ecosystems in Australia.

Bulldozing and logging the bush is a major driver of extinction and climate change continues to exacerbate threats to nature.

Just recently, the government approved three new coal mine extensions without consideration of climate impacts on the places we love like the Great Barrier Reef.

Australians would hope and expect that our government would not sacrifice nature because it is inconvenient for the coal and gas industry. Australians would expect our Prime Minister would not risk our wellbeing, our jobs and our economy, all of which depend on healthy nature.

New polling released today shows that a whopping 99% of Australians want Australia's natural wonders protected and that 84% are concerned about animals going extinct. The Prime Minister should be comforted by the knowledge that 87% of people support stronger nature protection laws and that 91% agree Australian businesses should do more to protect nature.

Labor governments have a proud history of protecting the environment. Under the leadership of prime minister Bob Hawke, some of Australia's most important natural treasures were protected. From saving the Franklin River to halting mining exploitation in Antarctica, Hawke's courage and environmental legacy will be felt by generations to come.

As the global spotlight descends upon Australia this week, Prime Minister Albanese now has his own opportunity to shine. Will his legacy be a country that is a world leader in extinctions? Or will it be a nation that has laws to build a nature positive Australia so that we have more nature at the end of this decade than we did at the start of it.

The Albanese government has a critical window to finally secure strong nature laws. The government has been given a way forward by the Australian Greens and senators David Pocock and Lidia Thorpe who have offered to pass the bills if the government would help protect forests, protect Indigenous culture and find a way to make sure decisions on future projects considered their impact on our climate, a sensible compromise from the climate trigger.

What an act of leadership it would be if the Albanese government worked with the Senate crossbench to pass stronger nature protection laws, as Australia hosts the Nature Positive Summit.

Hawke set the benchmark for future prime ministers on what environmental leadership looks like and voters rewarded him for it. Will Albanese rise to this moment?

One thing is certain, we desperately need this leadership because nature needs action now. Australians want it, nature needs it. And doing so would build a legacy truly worth passing on.

Kelly O'Shanassy is the chief executive of the Australian Conversation Foundation. Dermot O'Gorman is the chief executive of the World Wildlife Fund Australia.

This piece was published in the Canberra Times

 

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