Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to speak in support of the proposed amendments moved by the member for Goldstein. Nature positive represents generational reform of our environmental laws, and it's really important we get this right. And what must remain as a central purpose of these reforms is that it's about improvement, not just protection. That's what nature positive means. Words really matter. Nature positive adopts language that's globally accepted to refer to a net gain in nature. And, to achieve a net gain, we need to include ambitious and quantifiable targets.

Australia signed up to the global biodiversity framework, which includes concrete commitments to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030, and that goal has been consistently adopted around the world to guide urgent action to get nature visibly and measurably on the path to recovery. It makes complete sense that we would include this measure in the definition of nature positive in this bill, but this bill falls short. There is no goal for recovery; there is no baseline. The bill leaves it to the head of Environment Information Australia to determine the baseline for nature positive.

I strongly agree with the amendments that the definition of 'nature positive' should reflect a clear goal to halt biodiversity decline by 2030 measured against a 2021 baseline. It makes sense to make the 2021 baseline consistent with the current national State of the environment report data. I commend this amendment.

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