Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to rise to speak to this motion in one of my last speeches in this place because Australia is in an extinction crisis. We hold the highest number of mammal extinctions globally and rank second in the world for biodiversity loss, just behind Indonesia. This is a national disgrace. Our national environment laws should protect the places we love and protect our flora and fauna, yet it's clear that they are failing. They are failing to stop animals and birds hurtling towards extinction, and they are failing to safeguard our environment from political whim and greed.

The Regional Forest Agreements form one of the most destructive parts of our environment laws. Under these agreements, the logging industry is given a special carve-out from the EPBC Act, which means that the regulation and protection of Australia's precious forests and wildlife are effectively left to state governments. These are the same state governments who own Forestry Corporation of NSW and so-called Sustainable Timber Tasmania, logging agencies who have recklessly destroyed irreplaceable forests and critical habitat time and time again.

Despite there being less than 750 swift parrots in the whole world, logging of their forest homes in Tasmania continues. In New South Wales last year, an endangered greater glider was found dead after a logging operation in the Tallaganda forest just 70 kilometres south of parliament. This forest was logged by the Forestry Corporation of NSW despite being one of the only places in the whole world where greater gliders are still dominant; it's been identified as a priority area for greater glider recovery. After the dead glider was found, the state EPA ordered an immediate stop to operations. But now they've approved logging to start again, just with slightly bigger buffer zones around the greater glider nest trees.

The harm caused by logging operations can't be underestimated, and it can't be undone. The habitat of threatened species is being destroyed. Over the last 20 years, greater glider numbers have declined by up to 80 per cent in some areas due to logging, land clearing and devastating fires caused by the climate crisis. Our national environment laws are failing to stop the destruction of the Tallaganda, despite the significance of this forest: as habitat for the greater glider and other endangered species; for being unceded country for First Nations peoples; for its role in soaking up and storing carbon; and as a destination for hikers, mountain bikers and birdwatchers. State logging agencies cannot be trusted and neither can their state government owners. Again in New South Wales, this was made abundantly clear by the New South Wales Labor government's refusal to halt logging in areas that they promised would be part of the great koala national park. Meanwhile, the logging continues. The New South Wales government has broken its pre-election commitment and put koalas in the state absolutely and firmly on the path to extinction. In Victoria, where native logging is meant to have stopped, we still have logging going on in the Wombat forest under the guise of fire protection and salvage logging. I was pleased to be at a forest rally in Kyneton yesterday with hundreds of forest defenders, who are determined to see this logging end.

In the nearly two years of this Labor government, we have witnessed the government turn a blind eye to the destruction of Australia's forests and threatened species by the logging industry, happily approve new coal and gas mines, and delay and defer changes to our environment laws. This Labor government, when it comes to threatened species, are no better than their Liberal predecessors. The only difference is that the Liberal government were upfront about their earth-destroying intent instead of sneaking through destructive legislation. If this Labor government really cared about their zero extinction promise, protecting Australia's environment or stopping the climate crisis, they would listen to First Nations peoples, environment organisations and the Greens. They would come true on their promise to reform and strengthen our environment laws and they would abolish The Regional Forest Agreements and end native forest logging once and for all.

I look forward to returning to life as a forest campaigner after I leave this place, working with the majority of the Australian people, who want to see an end to native forest logging. I look forward to seeing my colleagues continue to work together in this place to make sure that our forests are protected.