The Federal Government has revealed a budget that they believe will bring about real change in areas like climate change, biodiversity loss, and deforestation.
Sussan Leey, Environment Minister, announced that her plan for four years will include practical on-the-ground action informed by science, communities, and traditional owners.
Five key announcements, previously made, are the core of her environmental response.
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$1 billion to protect the Great Barrier Reef
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$12.4 million in relief to reef tourism operators
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$60 million for a fund that invests in plastic technology to help recycle hard-to-recycle material
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$128.5 Million to promote environmental law reform
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$804.4 Million to help Antarctica’s scientific progress
In the budget is an additional $100 million for the extension of the Environmental Restoration Fund (ERF), for another three years.
The government will also invest $11 million over the next two years in reforming Indigenous cultural heritage reforms.
Ley said that through this years Budget we are doing more to fight the scourge plastics in our environment and protecting threatened species.
The Budget provides new funding to support Antarctic science and leadership, future of the Great Barrier Reef and environmental reform.
This budget delivers real action where it matters, a budget which works with local communities in order to deliver a stronger and more healthy environment for all Australians.
Environment to be a key election issue
The announcement of the state of environment comes amid ongoing flooding in northern NSW and South-East Queensland.
After the unprecedented 2019/20 Black Summer Bushfires, climate change has become an important election issue.
The Coalition is being challenged in key NSW and Victorian constituencies by prominent independents who are running on platforms focusing on climate change. Meanwhile, in Queensland, the bleaching of Great Barrier Reef is expected to be a hot subject.
Despite Australia’s commitment to net-zero emission by 2050, the country’s emissions-reduction goals have been criticized at home and abroad, most recently by the Secretary-General of United Nations.
Despite the controversy surrounding coal and gas, Morrison Government has always doubled down on its support of these industries.
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