Key points
Only the Coalition can deliver the strong economy to invest in a stronger future for our environment.
The Morrison Government has committed more than $6 billion to environmental initiatives since 2019.
We’re committed to protecting, caring for and strengthening incredible global icons such as the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Kakadu and Antarctica, backed by the strong economy that can support long-term planning and world’s best practice.
The Morrison Government has delivered thousands of environmental projects including habitat restoration, pest and weed management, threatened species conservation and environmental science.
We’ve delivered more than 3.8 million hectares of feral animal control, culled more than 275,000 crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef, are restoring 13 shellfish reefs, planted more than 29 million trees, conducted 650,000 hectares of targeted flora and fauna surveys and continued to enlarge Indigenous Protected Areas.
The Government has committed over $870 million of new investment to transform Australia’s waste and recycling industry, creating 10,000 jobs and diverting at least 10 million tonnes of waste from landfill. Our $280 million Recycling Modernisation Fund is already on track to leverage a billion-dollar investment from the Commonwealth, states, territories and industry.
We’re also working hard to reduce emissions.
Since 2005, Australia’s emissions have fallen by 20 per cent while our economy has grown by 45 per cent. From 2005 to 2019, Australia reduced its emissions faster than Japan, Canada, New Zealand and the United States and twice as fast as the OECD.
We are on track to beat our 2030 emissions reduction target. Australia is forecast to achieve a similar or greater reduction in emissions per capita by 2030 than other major developed economies including Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the United States.
Our $22 billion investment in clean energy technologies this decade will leverage at least $88 billion in co-investment, guided by our Technology Investment Roadmap, and is creating jobs and business opportunities nationwide.
A re-elected Coalition Government will expand our strong environmental action. We will:
- Continue to ensure the world’s best environmental management of the Great Barrier Reef, investing an additional $1 billion over nine years to protect the Reef while supporting the 64,000 jobs which drive the Reef economy.
- Implement our Long-Term Emissions Reduction Plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050 through technologies, not taxes.
- Implement our new 10-year Threatened Species Strategy to 2031 by tackling feral pests and weeds, increasing the number of safe havens, helping more captive breeding programs and partnering with local communities in practical, on-ground action.
- Support a new era of environmental science by continuing to invest in four research hubs in the next phase of Australia’s National Environmental Science Program.
- Drive a billion-dollar transformation of Australia’s waste and recycling industry that will create 10,000 jobs over 10 years. We’ll continue the transition to a circular economy through the Modern Manufacturing Initiative.
- Enhance our world-leading management of Australia’s oceans and waterways through the Oceans Leadership package.
- Add 39 million hectares of land and sea country to Indigenous Protected Areas, bringing the total protected area to more than 117 million hectares.
- Protect the Koala for future generations by improving health outcomes, veterinary training, habitat and monitoring with a $53 million investment.
- Strengthen our Antarctic leadership, science and presence by delivering the $839 million package to continue the 20-year Antarctic Strategy and Action Plan with more science, more exploration, more environmental stewardship, and more jobs in Tasmania’s Antarctic industries.
- Reform national environmental protection laws to ensure they remain fit for purpose and facilitate greater business certainty and investments including in the mining and agricultural sectors. Our goal is economic growth while protecting our iconic native plants and animals.
- Strengthen our cultural heritage laws by continuing to work with states and territories and the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance to safeguard Indigenous heritage.
- Partner with states and territories in a national rollout of digital environment assessments, with more than $52 million investment to cut green tape and duplication.
- Invest $128.6 million to deliver improved environmental outcomes, maintain timely EPBC assessments, strengthen compliance measures and a regional planning scheme.
- Continue the investment of over $590 million in biosecurity measures (since the 2021-22 Budget) to protect Australia’s unique landscapes. Since 2013, we’ve invested $20 million in Yellow Crazy Ant control in the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area.
The Morrison Government believes in practical action for a cleaner environment. Protecting and restoring the environment is best achieved by all governments working in partnership with local communities, business, Indigenous groups, farmers, land managers and scientists.
Unlike Labor, we recognise that the business, agriculture and resource sectors can work with, and not against, the environment for shared benefit when we get the balance right.
In contrast, Labor is focused on green tape, creating new taxes and onerous regulation.
Labor has a track record of new taxes, higher energy costs and back-flipping on essential projects.
In government, Labor drove up energy prices by 101 per cent on the back of its ill-fated carbon tax.
Labor failed to reform national environmental laws. Instead they added complex and heavy-handed regulation through deals with independents and the Greens.
Labor’s plans will achieve nothing for the environment, while reducing job opportunities in regional Australia. Labor will continue complex green tape and duplication of environmental approvals, costing jobs and delaying projects.
The Australian people have the choice between the Coalition that is delivering a strong economy and the stronger investment our environment needs, and a Labor Party that stands for higher taxes, more regulation and a less secure environmental future.
Our Plan
1. Protecting our biodiversity
The Morrison Government’s signature Environment Restoration Fund is being expanded by $100 million, supporting a range of actions to help to protect our environment for future generations.
The Fund’s priorities are:
- Protecting threatened and migratory species and their habitat, including tackling pest animals and weeds.
- Protecting and restoring Australia’s coastal rivers and waterways.
- Improving urban tree canopy and providing green corridors in cities.
The Environment Restoration Fund has already supported many local projects, including safe havens for endangered wildlife, community clean-ups for urban waterways and coastal areas and habitat restoration projects for species including the black cockatoo and koala.
The Fund builds on the Government’s $1.1 billion investment over six years in the National Landcare Program to protect Australia’s water, soil, plants and animals, and support their productive and sustainable use.
The Morrison Government has also delivered a successful $200 million wildlife and habitat recovery bushfire response, $50 million in koala funding, $149 million in environmental science and the new 10-year Threatened Species Strategy.
We are making record investments in Commonwealth national parks, including at Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu National Parks. We’re delivering $233 million for tourism and other infrastructure as part of the single biggest investment in national parks, creating more than a thousand jobs in regional and remote communities. And we will invest $10.6 million to reform existing employment frameworks (in consultation with Traditional Owners), encourage Indigenous business participation and create new Indigenous jobs within the parks.
The Morrison Government has invested over $590 million on biosecurity since the 2021-22 Budget to implement reforms set out in Commonwealth Biosecurity 2030, which is a roadmap for protecting Australia’s environment, economy and lifestyle from pests and diseases. We’ve also invested $49 million to support communities to manage feral pests and weeds, such as wild pigs and deer and gamba grass. As well, the Coalition Government has invested $20 million on Yellow Crazy Ant eradication in the Wet Tropics since 2013.
A re-elected Coalition Government will:
- Boost investment in the Environment Restoration Fund by $100 million over three years to support community-driven action that protects and restores the environment, including:
- $11 million to tackle more gamba grass sites across Northern Australia through the new Tackling Gamba Grass Fund which will deliver projects on the ground and fund new research projects to find a permanent solution to stop gamba grass.
- Continue to roll out more than $96 million to protect Australia from “hitchhiker” pests, and have extended our support to address crazy ants.
- Continue to invest through the Commonwealth Biosecurity 2030 roadmap to protect Australia’s environment, economy and lifestyle from pests and diseases.
- Continue to fund environmental science through our research partnerships, including CSIRO, AIMS and GBRMPA.
2. Achieving Net Zero
The Morrison Government continues to act practically and responsibly to reduce emissions while lowering energy prices, supporting traditional industries, preserving Australian jobs and generating new opportunities for industries and regional Australia.
Since coming to government in 2013, we have provided more than $15.6 billion of supportto more than 29,000 clean energy and energy efficiency projects valued at more than $50.1 billion.
Australia’s emissions are now 20 per cent below 2005 levels and we are on track to achieve up to a 35 per cent reduction by 2030, on our way to net zero emissions by 2050.
Australia’s whole-of-economy Long-Term Emissions Reduction Plan sets out how Australia will achieve net zero emissions by 2050 while maintaining a strong economy and protecting jobs.
The Plan is focused on ‘the how’, on practical action to convert ambition into achievement, because a target without a plan is meaningless. We will invest $22 billion to reduce emissions and our investment will drive coinvestment of $88 billion. Some of these actions include:
- $1.38 billion for the expansion of the Snowy Hydro Scheme, Snowy 2.0, which is the largest energy storage project in the southern hemisphere.
- Deliver the $1 billion Grid Reliability Fund to make targeted investments in new generation, transmission and other technologies to keep the lights on and prices low.
- $2.1 billion to support the rollout of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure across the country.
- Turbocharge Australian innovation with a new $1 billion Low Emissions Technology Commercialisation Fund and an expanded patent box providing concessional tax rates for low emissions technologies patented in Australia.
- Continuing to invest billions of dollars through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (who have just hit their $10 billion investment milestone) and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency with $1.9 billion in new funding.
- $1.5 billion to develop clean hydrogen which will be an important low-emissions fuel to help power industries in the future and $400 million to support and further develop carbon capture and storage technologies across the country.
- $565 million to invest in low-emission projects in Australia under our technology partnerships with the UK, Japan, Germany, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia.
We will achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in a practical, responsible way that will take advantage of new economic opportunities while continuing to serve our traditional export markets. Our Plan doesn’t rely on taxes and it will not put industries, regions or jobs at risk.
Our Plan is the right one for Australia because it doesn’t impose new costs on households or businesses. At its core, it recognises that reducing the cost of low emissions technologies is key to unlocking widespread deployment, and that global technology trends will drive demand shifts at home and abroad.
Our Plan will create the enabling environment for investment in Australia, which will ensure regional communities can capture the opportunities of the new energy economy and unlock new sources of growth.A re-elected Coalition Government will:
- Meet and beat our 2030 target and continue to reduce emissions in line with our Long-Term Emissions Reduction Plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
- Continue to maintain the integrity of the Emissions Reduction Fund, the world’s largest and most successful national carbon offset scheme in the world and increase the number and types of activities that are eligible to earn carbon credits under the scheme.
- Continue to reduce the cost of renewable energy and other low emissions technologies by investing in Australian innovation and pilot projects.
- Ensure Australian households and businesses can adopt new technologies like electric vehicles by investing in the enabling infrastructure, like charging stations.
- Not introduce a carbon tax – which would increase electricity prices for families and businesses.
3. Protecting the Great Barrier Reef and oceans
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system and a natural wonder.
The Reef forms part of Australia’s global identity and is central to the Queensland economy.
Along with coral reefs around the world, the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is under pressure from climate change, land-based run-offs, coastal development, and human impacts such as illegal and unsustainable fishing and marine debris.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also significantly impacted Reef communities as tourism was severely disrupted for several years.
That’s why the Morrison Government is injecting an additional $1 billion, with funding to the end of the decade to protect the Great Barrier Reef and has acted to safeguard the jobs of 64,000 Queenslanders who rely on the $6.4 billion Reef economy.
The Morrison Government’s $1 billion Reef package includes:
- $579 million for water quality – working with land managers to remediate erosion, improve land condition and reduce nutrient and pesticide runoff.
- $252 million for reef management and conservation – additional support for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) to reduce threats from crown-of-thorns starfish, implement advanced health monitoring systems and prevent illegal fishing.
- $95 million to research and deploy world leading reef resilience science and adaptation strategies.
- $74 million for Traditional Owner and community-led projects including species protection, habitat restoration, citizen science programs and reducing marine debris.
We have also helped local tourism businesses in the marine park with more than $12 million of fee relief, while providing GBRMPA with additional funding to offset the lost fee revenue.
New funding will back world leading marine science, the deployment of new climate adaptation technology, major investments in water quality programs, and state-of-the-art, on-water management practices to reduce threats from crown-of-thorns starfish, protect key species and prevent illegal fishing.
Australia is the best reef manager in the world and under the Morrison Government we will stay that way.
New support takes the Coalition Government’s investment under the Reef 2050 Plan to more than $3 billion since 2015. In 2021, the World Heritage Committee commended Australia’s “unprecedented” investment in the Great Barrier Reef.
The Morrison Government continues to support important ocean initiatives.
We have established two new marine parks covering up to 740,000 square kilometres of waters around Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands, taking the percentage of Australian waters that are protected to 45 per cent.
Oceans, coral reefs and connected coastal ecosystems like seagrass meadows, mangroves and wetlands play a vital role in removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. Our Great Barrier Reef ecosystem is one of the world’s most powerful blue carbon sites.
Through the $443 million Reef Trust Partnership, we’ve collected 45,000 seagrass seeds from 5,000 seagrass flowers in the Whitsundays to support seagrass restoration at Pioneer Bay and we’ve established a seagrass nursery to provide seed stock for seagrass restoration. Our $3 billion Reef investment complements projects in our sustainable ocean plan, ensuring 100 per cent of the ocean within our national jurisdiction is sustainably managed by 2025.A re-elected Coalition Government will:
- Continue to support world-leading environmental management of the Great Barrier Reef under the Reef 2050 Plan, with an additional $1 billion, bringing total funding to support the Reef to $3 billion since 2015.
- Maintain our Australian Marine Park networks in their current form, including undertaking required statutory reviews and, as necessary, adjust elements of the management plans in response to scientific evidence and the feedback of stakeholders provided through statutory consultations.
4. Investing in stewardship of our land
Australian farmers are the stewards of more than 50 per cent of Australia’s landscape.
The Coalition Government will continue to support our farmers as responsible managers of our soils and natural resources. Their stewardship boosts productivity and delivers environmental outcomes, including biodiversity and clean water. Our government looks after Australia’s natural resources through the $1.1 billion National Landcare Program, a $214 million soils package and the $5 billion Future Drought Fund.
The Government is also innovating to develop a voluntary agriculture biodiversity stewardship market, recognising and financially rewarding farmers who plant native species, or manage their land to protect or enhance existing native vegetation.
We’re investing $96 million over the forward estimates to pilot biodiversity methods that can provide confidence to the market about what it buys, and building a trading platform to match farmers and buyers. A biodiversity friendly “stamp” will demonstrate credentials to consumers and international markets.
The Coalition will re-introduce the Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Market Bill into Parliament to provide a regulatory framework, supported by a $13.2 million investment.
The Morrison Government is also committed to improving how we manage and value our natural assets. We’re investing $4.7 million over three years to develop tools for linking our natural capital with financial markets. We're working with the financial, business and investment sectors, Indigenous groups, agriculture and land sectors and state governments to test new natural capital financial products and investment models.
A re-elected Coalition Government will:
- Continue to support the National Landcare Program with the recent review of Phase 2 to inform the next phase in consultation with industry and stakeholder groups.
- Re-introduce the Agriculture Stewardship Market Bill 2022 into Parliament.
- Invest $27 million for agriculture biodiversity stewardship to fully automate trading between farmers and buyers of biodiversity outcomes, and to help farmers participate in the market with advice from natural resource management organisations.
5. Strong action on recycling and waste
The Morrison Government is taking practical action on recycling and waste.
Our recycling plan is about being responsible for our waste and helping Australians recycle better and with confidence. We have established national waste targets as we transition to a circular economy where products can be remade in Australia.
The Morrison Government was the first in the world to ban the export of unprocessed waste glass, plastics, tyres and cardboard/paper.
We have backed our plan with a record investment of more than $870 million to transform Australia’s waste and recycling industry through new infrastructure, research and development and landmark legislation.
In reaching our national waste targets, we will generate opportunities for business to remanufacture waste into new products, build markets for recycled materials and create jobs.
The Coalition Government has:
- Leveraged record investment in waste and recycling infrastructure with an initial $190 million for the Recycling Modernisation Fund, now a $280 million fund. This has funded more than 85 projects that will divert more than 1.3 million tonnes of waste from landfill. We have also invested in remanufacturing, with over $300 million through the Modern Manufacturing Initiative in clean energy and recycling projects.
- Set targets and actions to reduce Australia’s waste by 10 per cent per person by 2030.
- Prioritised food waste with a $67 million Food Waste for Healthy Soils Fund to invest in recycling infrastructure that is diverting up to 3.4 million tonnes of organic waste otherwise destined for landfill. We’ve established the $4 million Stop Food Waste Australia to drive collaboration across the food supply chain.
- Prioritised plastic pollution. We hosted the first National Plastics Summit, which brought together industry, government and community groups and helped lead to the first National Plastics Plan.
- Cleaned up our oceans and waters, investing $14 million to remove ghost nets and other marine debris in Northern Australia, and partnered with Clean Up Australia Day, Clean4Shore and Conservation Volunteers Australia to help communities clean up waste from their local environments.
- Boosted product stewardship. We’ve invested more than $20 million to kick-start or accelerate more than 20 schemes to reduce the environmental impact of products ranging from batteries to fashion and textiles and soft plastic packaging.
- Invested in end-of-life options for disused solar panels so they do not pollute our environment (1 in 4 Australian homes now have solar panels).
- Launched the ReMade in Australia brand boosting consumer confidence in their recycling efforts, and are helping 20,000 small to medium businesses adopt the Australasian Recycling Label.
- Invested in the future of waste and recycling. We’ve focused on waste in the second phase of our National Environmental Science Program, and invested $18 million for nine Cooperative Research Centre Projects. We’ve made recycling a national manufacturing priority under the Modern Manufacturing Initiative.
A re-elected Coalition Government will:
- Invest an additional $60 million through the Recycling Modernisation Fund for new recycled plastics technologies, enabling more plastic products to be remanufactured in Australia.
- Invest an additional $30 million from the Regional Accelerator Program in the Recycling Modernisation Fund to drive further regional investment in recycling.
- Invest $18 million to establish ReMade in Australia as a national brand to provide consumer confidence and pride in buying quality Australian-made products from recycled material.
- Ensure Australia plays a leadership role in finalising a new global treaty to end plastics pollution through the United Nations.
- Host a second National Plastics Summit focusing on packaging innovation.
- Require state and territory governments to report on the use of recycled material ininfrastructure projects that are co-funded through national partnership agreements.
- Work with industry to ensure every product with a battery or a plug is covered by a product stewardship scheme.
- Work with industry to ensure the product stewardship scheme for used oil is more accessible for all Australians including those in regional and remote communities.
- Provide $6.25 million to continue the work of Conservation Volunteers Australia for volunteer coordination and the delivery of SeaToSource across Australia.
6. Tasmania – gateway to East Antarctica
The Morrison Government is boosting the Antarctic program. We’re growing our world-leading Antarctic science; expanding environmental protection; bolstering our leadership in the Antarctic Treaty system; and strengthening Tasmania’s international status as the preferred gateway to East Antarctica.
We’re investing a further $839 million in Australia’s presence and capabilities in Antarctica. Drone fleets, new helicopters and other autonomous vehicles will enable exploration of parts of East Antarctica’s interior that no country has reached. Through this leadership, Australia is ensuring the Antarctic remains a place of science and conservation – free from conflict and protected from exploitation. This investment will secure 685 direct jobs in the Australian Antarctic Division and continue to support Tasmania as an international science hub.We will continue backing our world-class scientists and expeditioners in the Antarctic. Their research, such as identifying changing weather patterns and rising sea levels, is critical to understanding the science of our region and its future.
Over two short trips to Antarctica, our new research vessel the Nuyina, in its debut 2021-22 season grabbed international headlines: mapping vast undersea canyons and an underwater mountain higher than Mt Kosciuszko, and bringing new technology to the study of krill and other marine ecosystems.
We will continue our leadership within the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), including for new marine protected areas to safeguard the Southern Ocean and our sustainable fisheries.
A re-elected Coalition Government will:
- Invest $839 million over 10 years to strengthen our leadership, scientific and strategic capabilities in Antarctica.
- Secure new jobs and opportunities for businesses in Tasmania’s Antarctic industries.
- Implement the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan.
- Advocate with CCAMLR partners for the East Antarctic Marine Protected Area.
7. Reforming our environmental protection laws
The Morrison Government is committed to improving the efficiency of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, while delivering stronger environmental outcomes.
We know that business, mining, energy and agriculture need less green tape, greater certainty and more streamlined environmental assessment to help build a stronger economy and create jobs. We can provide this without sacrificing environmental protections. But Labor has sided with the Greens to oppose pragmatic and meaningful reform to the Act.
The Coalition remains determined, informed by the recommendations set out in the Independent Review of the EPBC Act by Professor Graeme Samuel. Our A pathway for reforming national environmental law takes a staged approach to consider the far-reaching recommendations of the Review.
The Morrison Government has eliminated the backlog of late decisions under the EPBC Act. We’ve transformed on-time statutory decision-making with $25 million of congestion-busting investment to reduce delays and help fast-track major projects. Since 2019, more than 500 key decisions have been made under the EPBC Act. Ninety-six per cent of key decisions were delivered on time in the December 2021 quarter.
A re-elected Coalition Government will:
- Invest $128 million to deliver improved environmental outcomes, and support economic recovery and job creation, through more efficient assessment processes. These include maintaining timely assessments, strengthening compliance measures and a regional planning scheme that supports pre-approved activities.
- Amend the EPBC Act to provide greater flexibility and efficiency in managing approval decisions, remove unnecessary regulation and duplication, and achieve greater alignment with state and territory legislation.
- Continue to work closely with states and territories on a national rollout to support “single-touch” approvals and other environmental reforms, reducing regulation without sacrificing environmental protection.
- Implement national environmental standards for data and information, compliance and enforcement, Indigenous engagement and participation, and matters of national environmental significance.
- Deliver a new offsets policy supported by an updated offsets calculator and new public offsets register and biodiversity database.
- Invest $52 million to slash green tape for industry and improve transparency on environmental assessment and approvals with a national rollout of the Digital Environmental Assessment Program, supported by a National Biodiversity Data Repository.
- Reform the committee system under the EPBC Act to facilitate timely and expert advice to government on environmental policy and decision making.
- $62.3 million to deliver up to 10 bioregional plans in priority regions. These will protect areas of environmental significance, streamline assessments and manage cumulative impacts.
Our Record
The Morrison Government has invested almost $6 billion in environmental action since 2019 and we have funded thousands of projects across the country.
Helping our environment and biodiversity
- Implemented the Environment Restoration Fund to support projects across Australia.
- Released a 10-year Threatened Species Strategy to protect a broader range of species, including the Koala. We have invested $74 million since 2019 for koala scientific research, habitat restoration, health and veterinary care.
- Provided $200 million to support the recovery of our native wildlife and their habitats from the devastating Black Summer bushfires, achieving:
- Pest animal control over 3.8 million hectares and 28,000 hectares of weed treatment.
- Over 750 hectares of erosion control and 210 kilometres of stream/coastline protection and repair.
- 850 fauna surveys and 270 flora surveys across 650,000 hectares.
- Over 2,000 structures completed, such as nesting boxes and habitat shelters.
- More than 800 post-fire baseline datasets to monitor impacted species.
- 960 hectares of fire management to reduce the impact of future fires.
- Breeding of 17 priority animal species in new or expanded conservation facilities, with genetic analysis to inform future management actions.
Beating our 2030 target and achieving net zero by 2050
- Developed a detailed Long Term Emissions Reduction Plan to deliver net zero emissions by 2050.
- Since 2013, the Coalition Government has provided more than $15.6 billion of support to more than 29,000 clean energy projects valued at more than $50.1 billion.
- Australia’s emissions are now 20 per cent below 2005 levels and we are on track to achieve up to a 35 cent reduction by 2030 – significantly exceeding our 2030 Paris target of a 26-28 per cent reduction on 2005 levels.
- Between 2005 (the base year for our 2030 Paris target) and 2019, Australia reduced emissions faster than Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United States and many other developed countries – and more than twice as fast as the OECD average.
- Over the next decade, the Coalition will invest more than $22 billion in low emissions technologies, which will leverage at least $88 billion from the private sector to reduce emissions while growing the economy.
Australia is a world leader in renewable energy
- Delivered unprecedented investment in renewable energy. Last year, the share of renewable energy in the grid hit a record high of 29 per cent. Under the previous Labor government, the share of renewables reached a low of just 7.5 per cent.
- Since 2017, Australia has invested more than $40 billion in renewables. More than 1 in 4 Australian households now have solar on their roofs – the highest uptake rate in the world. Australia now has more wind and solar generation capacity per person than any country outside of Europe.
- More renewable generation was added in each of the last three years (6.3 GW in 2019, 7.0 GW in 2020 and 6.1 GW in 2021), than in the whole of the previous Labor government (5.6 GW in six years, December 2007 to September 2013).
Investing in science adapting to changes in climate
- Invested $149 million for the second phase of the National Environmental Science Program to meet the most pressing environmental management and policy needs, including climate adaptation, threatened species, and protected places.
- Implemented the National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy. Adaptation is a crucial part of our response to climate change.
- Delivered significant investments in climate adaptation through Reef and Antarctic funding, as well as through investments of $5 billion through the Future Drought Fund, $600 million for the Preparing Australia Program to deliver long-term disaster risk reduction and resilience; and $210 million for the Australian Climate Service.
Protecting the Reef and our oceans
- Australia is recognised as the best reef manager in the world and under the Coalition Government we will stay that way.
- Invested a record $3 billion in the Great Barrier Reef since 2015.
- Proclaimed Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands as a Marine Protected Area - covering around 740,000 square kilometres of waters, it’s one of the largest marine protected areas in the world.
- Delivered a $100 million Oceans Leadership package to enhance our world-leading management of Australia’s oceans and waterways.
Antarctica
- Successfully delivered Australia’s world-leading icebreaker RSV Nuyina to its home port Hobart in October 2021. This $1.9 billion investment over 30 years has delivered new scientific and maritime capabilities to the Australian Antarctic Program.
- Published the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan, setting out priorities for the next five years and underscoring our national interest in Antarctica.
Generational change in waste and recycling
- Lead a once-in-a generation transformation of our waste and recycling industry with more than 85 projects funded diverting over 10 million tonnes of resources from landfill and creating more than 10,000 jobs.
- The first Commonwealth government to establish waste and recycling as a national priority and we are implementing our 2019 National Waste Policy.
- Delivered a record investment of $870 million to transform Australia’s waste and recycling industry through new infrastructure and lead Australia on the road to a circular economy, turning waste into an economic resource.
Care and respect for our heritage
- Invested more than $33 million to support conservation work and infrastructure upgrades across 23 National and World Heritage sites.
- Provided $60 million to protect the heritage of Sydney Harbour in perpetuity and to restore historic sites and assets and legislatively enshrined the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust as a permanent entity.
- Delivered unprecedented investment of $450 million in capital works for national parks managed by Parks Australia and the roll out of that funding is continuing.
- Established a ground-breaking partnership with the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance which ensures Indigenous Australians are central to determining and managing cultural heritage.
Strengthening biosecurity
- The Coalition has delivered over $330 million to tackle established pests and weeds since 2015.
- Under our Commonwealth Biosecurity 2030 roadmap, we have established the Chief Environmental Biosecurity Officer; installed 3D x-ray machines (with more to come); deployed the world’s first algorithm to automatically detect biosecurity risk material; and implemented new diagnostic technologies at the border such as an AI app for the brown marmorated stink bug.
The Risk of Labor
There is a clear choice at this election.
The Morrison Government’s responsible, practical action for a cleaner environment. Our plan to work together with local communities, business, Indigenous groups, farmers, the resources sector and scientists to get the balance right.
Labor’s focus is not on environmental outcomes but on green tape, creating new taxes and onerous regulation.
Labor has a track record of new taxes, higher energy costs and back-flipping on essential projects.
Labor wants to increase costs for consumers through mandating national packaging targets.
The Morrison Government will not slug Australian households and businesses with a packaging tax.
In government, Labor drove up energy prices by 101 per cent on the back of its ill-fated carbon tax, while committing only $26.7 million to their waste policy from 2009 to 2013.
The Morrison Government has invested more than $870 million since 2019 to transform Australia’s waste and recycling industry.
In uncertain times, Australia can’t risk Labor.
|
COALITION |
LABOR |
|
Emission Reduction |
Emission Reduction |
|
Environmental regulation |
Environmental regulation |
|
Great Barrier Reef Funding till the end of the decade and $3 billion invested in the Reef since 2015. |
Great Barrier Reef |
|
Biosecurity |
Biosecurity |
|
Recycling and waste management |
Recycling and waste management |
|
Antarctica |
Antarctica |
Cost
Funding for the Coalition’s Plan for a Cleaner Environment is already provided for within budget estimates.