Recent Updates

• The Yoorrook Justice Commission has released its final report, Truth be Told. The report details the experiences of Victoria’s First Peoples and sets out a clear and targeted roadmap for reform (see Indigenous Land & Sea Management)
• Common Threads has launched Together for Treaty, a long term national campaign led by first Nations people, using story telling and community organising to create the environment for political action on truth and Treaty across the country
• The Minister for Industry has awarded major project status to INPEX’s proposed Bonaparte carbon capture and storage development offshore from Darwin, describing the project as a large-scale renewable venture ECNT has described the announcement as greenwashing.
• South Australia is experiencing an “unprecedented ecological disaster” as a toxic algal bloom persists into its fourth month, leading to significant loss of marine life.
• The Victorian Government has ruled out supporting the Great Forest National Park, in advance of releasing a final report by the Great Outdoors Taskforce (see Forests).
• The WA Auditor-General has found that more than two thirds of WA’s threatened ecological communities are ineffectively monitored and protected
• The Environment Minister has given provisional approval to extend the life of Woodside’s North West Shelf processing plant to 2070 but refused to publicly release proposed conditions of approval. Woodside is yet to respond to the provisional approval.
• UNESCO has called for greater protection from industrial pollution before it will consider listing Murujuga on the World Heritage List. Federal Government representatives are lobbying UNESCO for inclusion, stating that the impacts of emissions are being managed. Meanwhile, two legal challenges have been filed claiming cultural heritage impacts have not been adequately considered (see Indigenous Land & Sea Management).
• The Climate Change Authority has released a new report, Unlocking Australia’s clean energy potential, setting out  recommendations for accelerating the deployment of renewable energy
• Parents for Climate Action secured a court settlement in its greenwashing case against Energy Australia (see Greenwashing).
• The NSW government has released final details of its Future Jobs and Investment Authority package, including $27M in initial funding and better alignment with the Net Zero Economy Authority to streamline support for workers and transition communities.
• Climate Integrity has released a report on benchmarking decarbonisation efforts in some of Australia’s biggest companies, Real Zero Leadership: Positive Practice in the Net Zero Pledges of Australian Companies (see Corporate Influence and Climate Change).
• Traditional owners have signed the Roper River Declaration, calling for a Ropa Woda Governance Council to be included in all future water decisions, and a ban on new water extraction licences in the Roper catchment – join the AEGN NT Field Trip to hear more from Ropa Woda elders
• The Queensland government has released new shark management guidelines providing for more shark nets, drumlines, and use of drones
• The ACT government has released a draft revised School Sponsorship Policy, proposing to include fossil fuel companies in the list of prohibited sponsors
• The Queensland government has ordered a review of its 75% by 2035 emissions reduction target and the law setting its renewable energy target