Australia’s war on nature leading to environmental collapse

Bulldozers roll, koalas perish and governments look the other way as extinction becomes policy, writes Sue Arnold.

THE ANCIENT Chinese curse, ‘May you live in interesting times’, is an apt description of the current upheaval, uncertainty and deeply challenging circumstances people all over the globe are experiencing.

As an environmental journalist and activist of some 30 years standing, the crises facing those of us who have campaigned, battled and protested are seriously distressing. The future looks extremely bleak. No doubt scientists, who have worked tirelessly to inform governments, feel the same stress and fury.

The suffering of our wildlife is soul-destroying, heartbreaking and difficult to comprehend. An increasing number of increasingly endangered wildlife struggles to survive in increasingly disturbed (or now bulldozed) habitats. Their right to life is ignored, sacrificed on the altar of growth.

Australia’s environmental crises are all man-made. The terrible misery inflicted on our unique wildlife is all man-made.

Habitat destruction pushing koalas toward extinction

Koalas are disappearing as state governments and industries destroy habitats — what will future Australians say when they are gone?

State and federal environmental legislation is skewed against public interest. Mainstream media quarantines or completely fails to report on tragedies caused by uncaring, irresponsible governments. No matter which party is in office, the growth-at-any-cost choir sings from the same song sheet.

In 2022, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, warned that humanity faces “collective suicide” due to the climate crisis.

Neither the state nor federal governments have acted in response to his warning, nor have they responded to mountains of research and evidence demonstrating the current and approaching disasters. Instead, continuing on their collective merry way, approving fossil fuel projects, industrial logging of native forests, killing off wildlife in the way of fossil fuel projects, infrastructure, urbanisation and ecologically unsustainable population growth.

The Albanese Government continues to reject the inclusion of a climate trigger in any federal environmental legislation. Coalition senators were quick to ‘reaffirm that we do not support the insertion of a climate trigger into any Commonwealth legislation’.

A recent roundtable meeting of peak mining groups, organised by the newly appointed Environment Minister, Murray Watt, does not augur well for any change in ongoing approval of fossil fuel projects.

Miners staunchly oppose the introduction of a climate trigger.

With no climate trigger or any upgraded protection of endangered or critically endangered species listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, the fossil fuel industry has very little to worry about.

Leading the charge in the ignorance stakes is the Northern Territory Government, which has just announced that the 2030 emissions reduction target of 43% will not be implemented.

New environment minister a win for industry but a loss for environment

The decision to put an ex-forestry minister in charge of environmental protection shows that industry still comes first for this Government.

Not to be outdone, the Minns Labor Government in NSW has little interest in climate impacts or biodiversity loss unless there are dollars involved. The Premier is demonstrating a growing appetite for devastating environmental damage. The proposed Great Koala National Park continues to be bulldozed despite massive public opposition.

Weary activists maintain their rage, chaining themselves to machinery. Being arrested. Not your usual activists, but seniors, non-members of conservation organisations. Just an angry public who have no understanding of why native forests and wildlife are being wantonly destroyed.

Recently, the Minns Government countered any activist problems by bringing in police to guard the operations. An extraordinary act.

This week, the Treasurer announced the NSW Budget is unlikely to allocate extra funding for the long-promised park, which may soon be renamed the Minns Koala Cemetery.

The 2023/24 NSW State Budget set aside $80 million for the park over four years. Significant amounts have already been expended on endless meetings, inquiries and talk fests.

In an interview with The Guardian, State Treasurer Daniel Mookhey claimed:

“We have a forest industry action plan... that’s being developed.”

Code for more logging.

Since Labor’s election victory, more than 10,000 football fields of forests have been cut down in the footprint of the frequently promised park.

Labor's election win hopefully a turning point for environment

Following a landslide victory, Labor will have to answer to 96% of Australians, who say more action is needed to protect the environment and native wildlife.

Native forests are the best protection against climate change emissions but politically, only if they make money. Any possibility of saving forests in NSW is linked to their dollar value in terms of offsets for carbon emissions.

The Minns Government is currently moving to pass legislation known as the Game and Feral Animal Legislation Amendment (Conservation Hunting) Bill, which, if passed, will open up at least 23 crown land areas greater than 400 hectares to recreational hunting.

The bill will also require public land managers to consider any impacts on recreational shooting before undertaking land management decisions, including aerial shooting, baiting or nature conservation.

The Invasive Species Council says:

“Once again, we’re seeing an attempt to entrench hunting access on public land, without regard for the damage done to native wildlife or the integrity of professional control programs.”

In Victoria, the Labor Government kills koalas from helicopters, with no ground truthing to establish whether the animals are actually dead or dying from gunshot wounds.

Bluegum plantations where koalas thrive, when harvested, result in dead, dying, surviving koalas fleeing, trying to find safety. “Protected” by government guidelines and a “koala management plan”, leave tiny islands of trees where koalas starve to death.

Assessments of koala health in the Budj Bim Park, where the aerial shooting of over 1,000 koalas was conducted, were done by helicopter. Thus introducing a new, completely unacceptable method of identifying sick or injured koalas from a distance of 30 metres.

More than a thousand koalas shot in aerial operation

Secrecy around Australia's wildlife management has been given a disturbing precedent after more than 1,000 koalas were shot in Victoria.

In Queensland, fewer than 16,000 koalas are left in the wild in the south-east, once the heartland of koala populations.

Experts say 10% will end up in veterinary hospitals each year, with only half likely to survive.

One ABC headline read:

‘Koalas could be extinct in south-east Queensland in “not too distant future”, RSPCA says.’

The ongoing destruction of the state’s koala habitat can be attributed to former Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, whose spectacular efforts to drive policies of koala extinction have had enormous success. Current Premier David Crisafulli is carrying on the extinction policies.

Australian governments are not alone in driving the sixth great extinction, with heavy reliance on man-made climate change impacts doing the job.

Across the Pacific, the California gray whale population is dying of starvation as the Arctic Ocean warms up with sea ice disappearing, a direct result of climate change impacts.

Without the detritus that falls from the ice, feeding the lower trophic layers, which in turn feed the prey on which the gray whale depends, starvation is the result.

Scientists estimate a population loss of roughly 45%, with record-low calf counts.

The current population is the third lowest since 1967, with calf counts demonstrating a critical situation in terms of the ongoing survival of the sole surviving species of the Genus Eschrichtius.

In San Francisco Bay, six gray whales were found dead in the space of one week, with a total of 22 dead gray whales this year.

As usual, climate change impacts are generally ignored, with blame being placed on collisions in shipping lanes and entanglements, despite the mounting number of emaciated whales.

Whilst millions are in shock over the rise of right-wing anti-environment policies, with significant consequences for biodiversity across Europe and the U.S., it’s timely to ask if Australia is joining the club.

We are witnessing a war against nature in Australia. A one-sided war against defenceless creatures, ecosystems, forests and future generations.