The Australian Greens have warned that the government’s climate inaction is pouring fuel on fires incinerating our country’s iconic animals, landscapes, and flora, amid news that tens of thousands of koalas died during last season’s bushfires, and as an uncontrolled bushfire tears through an untouched world heritage rainforest. 

Greens Environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will this week move a ‘Save the Koala Bill’ to protect the habitat of Australia’s most iconic tree-hugger, in a bid to stave off extinction.

The Australian Greens responded to the International Union for Conservation of Nature declaring climate change the top threat to natural World Heritage sites, including the Great Barrier Reef, which has been assessed as having a “critical” outlook for the first time:

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“Where is the Environment Minister? At this rate our natural World Heritage Sites will soon be gone and with them biodiversity and wildlife and our tourism industry. This will be the Morrison Government’s legacy.

The Morrison Government and One Nation have teamed up to vote against a moratorium on the clearing of koala habitat in the Senate today.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who moved the motion for the moratorium said:

“The Morrison Government and One Nation have disgracefully voted against protecting the koala today.  

“If habitat loss does not stop, koalas will soon be extinct.

“But clearly the profits of the Morrison Government’s mining and developer mates are more important than saving our national treasure.

The Morrison Government’s new environment-wrecking laws do not have enough support to pass the parliament the Senate Inquiry report into the legislation released this afternoon shows.

The Greens, Labor and crossbench senators Patrick, Lambie and Griff all declared their opposition to the Bill leaving just the Morrison Government and One Nation in support.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“The Morrison Government’s environment-wrecking laws are dead in the water. 

A koala census won’t save our national treasure and a moratorium on the clearing of critical habitat is still urgently needed, the Greens say.

Responding to the Environment Minister’s announcement today of a koala census to identify key habitat, Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“A koala census won’t save our national treasure from the Morrison Government.

The Greens have slammed the two-week Senate Inquiry into major environment law reforms labelling it a ‘sham’ and are calling on the crossbench to refuse to pass the bill this year. 

The Greens are also urging the Environment Minister to immediately release the final report into the 10-year-review of Australia’s environment laws, which was handed to her by Professor Graeme Samuel on October 31.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

The Greens have announced they’ll move for a moratorium on koala habitat clearing to save the national treasure from extinction.

The legislative move would block decisions by Environment Minister Ley like the approval yesterday of a quarry at Pt Stephens which will destroy 52ha of critical habitat for the endangered species. 

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“Koalas are a national treasure and yet we have an Environment Minister not just failing to save them but signing their death warrant.

The Environment Minister Sussan Ley has signed a death warrant for koalas by approving the extension of the Brandy Hill quarry near Port Stephens today, the Greens say.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“It defies logic that an Environment Minister would approve the destruction of critical habitat for the koala, a species facing extinction in NSW.

“Sussan Ley has signed a death warrant for the koalas that call this place home.

The Prime Minister picked a dud when he put BHP’s Olympic Dam on his list of 15 major projects for fast-tracking through Australia’s environmental laws, the Greens say, after the company again abandoned its expansion plans.

Greens Senator for South Australia and Spokesperson for the Environment Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“The Prime Minister made a big fanfare over choosing Olympic Dam as one of his pet Covid recovery projects.

“He picked a dud.

“Again, more about the press conference, not so much the substance.

Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley has serious questions to answer about the influence mining giant Rio Tinto has had on the Morrison Government’s proposed environmental law reforms, the Greens say.