The Federal Budget includes some excellent wins for Queensland communities, nature and wildlife – including the axing of two damaging dam developments and the introduction of a range of new funding initiatives for nature conservation and tackling climate change. 

QCC particularly welcomes the reversal of the Morrison Government’s decision to spend billions of taxpayer dollars on two environmentally-disastrous new dams in Queensland.

Other stand-out announcements include more funding for Great Barrier Reef recovery, and $20 billion for Rewiring the Nation. 

The Federal Budget includes $204million for Great Barrier Reef recovery.

We also welcome initiatives to help prepare Queenslanders for a clean energy future, including funding for community batteries to help more communities store power generated through solar panels. 

Many Queenslanders are doing it tough as electricity prices soar, so new initiatives to reduce this strain on household budgets by easing access to clean, green, cheap renewable energy are overdue.

While the immediate driver of high electricity prices is fossil fuel costs going through the roof, high prices are also the long-term cost of more than nine years of inaction by the Morrison Government on transforming our electricity system. 

Key highlights from the budget include:

• Axing the Morrison Government’s previous commitment to provide $483 million of taxpayer’s funds to subsidise construction of Urannah Dam in Queensland.
• Axing the proposed $4.5bn Hells Gate Dam, previously announced by former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce MP. 
• $204m for Great Barrier Reef recovery, including ‘blue carbon’ projects to support ecosystem restoration.
• $20bn for rewiring the nation (primarily concessional loans) 
• $670m over six years to protect Australia’s iconic species and landscapes, help conserve World Heritage listed properties and wetlands and expand funding for Indigenous Protected Areas.
• $90m for Landcare rangers.
• $91.1 million for clean-up and restoration of urban river and water areas and local species protection.
• $224.3 million for  Community Batteries for Household Solar Program . 
• $102.2m for 85 solar banks
• $630.4m for disaster resilience projects and initiatives by state, territory and local government.
• $20.3m for climate farming outreach with Australian farmers and First Nations peoples

While the budget is overwhelmingly positive in its commitment to put communities, nature and our climate to the top of the priority list, there is still room for improvement. 

While the $224.3 million Community Batteries for Household Solar Program is a really welcome start that could make a difference for struggling households, it can’t make up for more than nine years of inaction by the Morrison Government, 

Unfortunately, Queenslanders are likely to be bearing the brunt of higher electricity prices because we don’t yet have the renewables, storage or transmission we need to keep power prices under control. 

More investment is needed into battery storage sooner rather than later.

The Queensland Conservation Council and the Pew Charitable Trusts today welcomed the Palaszczuk Government’s $300 million investment in strengthening Queensland’s national parks. 

The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Queensland Manager Andrew Picone said investments of this scale have the potential for massive outcomes for nature conservation in Queensland. 

“Today's announcement includes $200 million to buy more land for national parks.

"This means at least one million hectares of new protected areas thanks to today’s funding commitment.

“With an annual investment of $50 million over four years, we can expect to see some of Queensland’s most significant, threatened and underprotected landscapes added to our national park estate.

“Well-managed protected areas are the most effective way to safeguard biodiversity and bring threatened species back from the brink of extinction.” 

Nature Campaigner for the Queensland Conservation Council, Jon Ferguson said more national parks across Queensland protect vital habitat for threatened species and bring jobs in the tourism and land management sectors in regional Queensland.  

“Queensland is the most biodiverse state in Australia, so investing in new national parks means investing in making sure our native plants and animals are protected.

“Our state’s national parks support highly valued nature-based tourism while protecting exceptional wildlife and natural places.

“National parks contribute $2.7 billion to Queensland’s economy and support over 24,000 jobs, mostly in regional areas.

“As we rebuild Queensland’s economy, national parks have a critical role to play in delivering much needed employment, economic, health and environmental co-benefits.”

Today's commitment is in addition to the $40 million announced earlier this month for threatened species and includes the $38.5 million announced in March this year for the management and return of land of cultural and natural significance on Cape York to First Nations people. 

QCC and the Pew Charitable Trusts encourage the Queensland Government to negotiate new national parks with First Nations Peoples under the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent and to focus on the delivery of equitable joint management arrangements.

Contact: 

Hannah Schuch, 0434 796 566 

Andrew Picone, 0457 798 359

Jon Ferguson, 07 3846 7833

The Queensland Conservation Council (QCC) looks forward to working with the re-elected Queensland Labor Government to protect, conserve, and sustain our spectacular natural environment in Queensland.

We will look to hold to account the Queensland Labor Government's environment and energy commitments which were made in the last term and during the recent election campaign.

Labor’s environment and energy commitments are listed below: