Anti-climate action coalition can’t be trusted on environmental reform

Natalie Frost
Published 20 November 2025

In the time it takes Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt to address the Queensland Media Club today, an estimated 75 hectares of forest and woodlands will be bulldozed in Queensland, according to Queensland Conservation Council.

The State's peak conservation body says the overhaul of Australia's nature laws must address Queensland's deforestation and extinction crises.

Currently, Queensland has the most threatened species in Australia and is a global deforestation hotspot, with an estimated 1 million hectares bulldozed in Queensland since the Albanese Government took office.

The Queensland Conservation Council is calling on Minister Murray Watt to work with the crossbench to strengthen his laws to address the deforestation crisis, saying the Federal Coalition has demonstrated in recent weeks they can’t be trusted to prioritise the environment.

Speak up for those who can't

The Environment and Communications Legislation Committee is currently accepting public submissions for their inquiry on proposed federal nature law reforms - make sure your voice is heard.

Submissions are most powerful when they're personal and unique. So please edit the template submission here and tell the government why it's critical that they deliver strong new nature laws.

Environmental Justice Australia has prepared a great guide on how to write a submission.

Dear Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications,
As a Queenslander, I am distressed by continued extreme rates of deforestation and the destruction of threatened species habitat for new developments which, combined with climate impacts and invasive species, are fuelling the extinction crisis.
I urge the committee to take this opportunity to make sure new EPBC Act reforms deliver stronger nature protection. The proposed reform package will improve clarity on unacceptable impacts, allow better regional planning and set up a National Environment Protection Agency.
However, I am deeply concerned that these reforms are being proposed before National Environmental Standards on First Nations engagement are developed. Australia's environment laws need to build on First Nations knowledge through genuine consultation moving towards Free Prior Informed Consent. This standard needs to be released with any law reform.
The new laws must:
<ul>
<li>Reduce deforestation and protect native forests by removing or significantly narrowing the "continuing use" provisions (S43b) which allow agriculture to continue clearing high value habitat without EPBC assessment and ensure that native forest logging is subject to assessment, not given a free-pass exemption</li>
<li>Remove excessive ministerial powers including removing the ability of the Minister to make rulings on how the law should be applied, determine projects to be in the national interest without publicly transparent criteria and independent oversight, or override the National Environment Protection Agency</li>
<li>The National EPA should be the decision maker to ensure high public trust and integrity at arms length from political interference rather than the minister as default decision maker, as proposed</li>
<li>Keep Federal control of major decisions including projects which invoke the water trigger rather than risking these being subject to lesser environmental scrutiny by different State Governments</li>
<li>Set up regional plans for success by ensuring good local and First Nations consultation goes into setting conservation zones which are protected from all development</li>
<li>Recognise the importance of climate change on our environment by requiring projects to disclose all emissions and embedding climate action in the objects of the Act</li>
</ul>
Queensland is a biodiversity hotspot but sadly suffers from the highest rates of deforestation in the nation and has the lowest percentage of land in protected areas. New federal nature laws must halt the extinction crisis and protect the nation's rich natural and cultural heritage for future generations.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide a submission. I urge the committee to consider the above amendments and deliver strong new nature laws.

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Queensland Conservation Council Nature Campaigner Natalie Frost said

The reforms currently proposed by Minister Watt won’t protect forests, woodlands, the Great Barrier Reef or the 1043 threatened species that call Queensland home. You could drive a bulldozer through loopholes in the current proposed amendments.

According to the latest available data, 44% of all deforestation in Queensland is in Great Barrier Reef catchment areas, which not only destroys koala habitat but also results in sediment and nutrient flows that impact our beloved Reef.

The Coalition's reckless climate policy demonstrates they are not safe hands to negotiate environmental reforms that have been decades in the making. The Environment Minister himself has called out the Coalition for abandoning climate targets and Net Zero.

It’s clear that cutting a deal with the Coalition to ram these flawed laws through before Christmas would likely weaken them further and sacrifice our native species for the sake of political convenience.

We urge Minister Watt to negotiate with the crossbench to ensure our laws are as strong as possible. The places we love and the precious wildlife we have left, can’t afford to wait any longer for real environmental reform.

Nature underpins our economy, lifestyle, tourism and agricultural sector so these new laws must deliver strong upfront protections for nature to ensure that these industries thrive.

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