Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Here we are yet again, considering a piece of legislation from this Labor government that continually fails to take sufficient action on climate change. Here in Australia and abroad, their failure continues to be the hallmark of their time in office, as the climate crisis continues to get worse. Yet again we see a bill that does not take the whole-of-system, transformational approach that is required.

The Illegal Logging Prohibition Amendment (Strengthening Measures to Prevent Illegal Timber Trade) Bill 2024 applies to both the importation of raw and processed timber products into Australia and the processing of timber grown here. It creates some stronger protections against illegal logging overseas. However, the bottom line is that this bill is a missed opportunity to change the laws here in Australia in order to genuinely address illegal logging and protect our dwindling forests. In my home of Western Australia we have some of the most dense, ecologically diverse and precious forests in the world. So many of us have memories of enjoying the incredible Northern Jarrah Forest on the outskirts of Perth and the spectacular forests of the South West region. Unfortunately, these beautiful areas are under threat. They are now recognised as global biodiversity hotspots, and yet they are under threat from relentless logging.

Let's talk about what it means to be a global biodiversity hotspot. To qualify, an area must meet two strict criteria. Firstly, it must contain at least 1,500 specific plants found nowhere else in the world, and, secondly, it must have lost at least 70 per cent of its primary native vegetation. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has sounded the alarm. The IPCC stated, 'The scale and rate of deforestation is far beyond any natural tolerances, and the effects of climate change are already being felt in the region, with decreased rainfall and a dramatic drop in the water table over the past few decades.' They have warned our government that it must change the way these precious places are managed; otherwise we will see the collapse of our precious forest ecosystems in WA.

Western Australia has a long history of logging and forest clearing, and the challenges of protecting our forests from profiteering corporations continue to this day. The impacts of logging and forest clearing in my home state have been profound. Since bauxite mining began in Western Australia, more than 30,000 hectares of jarrah and marri forests have been cleared. That is well over the entire geographical size of the ACT. Over 11,290 hectares were cleared in the first decade alone. The rate of destruction of our forests is downright scary and there is no end in sight.

In WA we have seven mining corporations who are either logging or planning to log the Northern Jarrah Forest. These corporations are prioritising making bigger profits over protecting some of the only forests remaining just outside of Perth, and the WA Labor government is letting them do it. Two of these corporations, Alcoa and South32, plan to log and strip bare over 13,000 hectares of forest between them. This is devastating. We know that forest clearing in WA's South West has resulted in significant decreases in rainfall, along with decreased capacity to draw down carbon and store it in the soil and increased carbon release back into the atmosphere, in alarming quantities. These are climate impacts directly resulting from legal and illegal logging and mining activity in WA. These projects cannot be allowed to continue.

I'd like to take a moment to thank those who turned up to rally in the Perth Cultural Centre on Saturday. Hundreds of people gathered to mark Threatened Species Day and called for the rejection of South32's mine expansion and stronger protection laws for our forests, our bushland and our wildlife. The community's expectations are clear. This Labor government needs to go further than what is offered in this legislation. We need to increase measures against illegal logging of timber and also stop the other activities that contribute to deforestation on our own soil. We must also demand transparency in mineral supply chains and increase the use of secondary raw materials. To reduce mining companies' propensity for stripping forests, we must actively ensure that there is accountability and consequences for these actions, and we must do so here and internationally.

I'd like to acknowledge the work of my colleague Senator McKim for the amendments to this legislation he has proposed on behalf of the Greens. We are particularly concerned that this bill does not clearly articulate the breadth of the laws that would engage the provisions of this bill. Without clear definition, Australia could become a dumping ground for illegally logged timber. To this end, the Greens propose to repeal the definition and substitute it so that illegal logging includes the contravention of laws related to the protection of plants, the protection of the environment, human rights, bribery, money laundering, tax evasion, fraud or other financial crimes. The Labor government must use this opportunity to stop illegal logging, and they must use this opportunity to commit to climate action because continual failure to do so will lead to the condemnation of our planet and its people to the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Labor must hear the community. Protect our futures and stop mining companies from stripping our forests back to nothing but sand, hectare after hectare after hectare. This must be illegal too.

Finally, I think it is important to mention the global context of this legislation and this issue. Globally, mining activity is the fourth-largest driver of deforestation and impacts one-third of the world's global forest ecosystems. That is absolutely staggering. Think about what it looks like in reality to lose that much of our precious ecosystems. From a foreign affairs perspective, stopping deforestation is incredibly important due to the impact on people who live in the forest and rely on the forest as their home and source of food. Indeed 1.6 billion people worldwide depend on forests for their livelihood, and some 60 million indigenous people depend on forests for their subsistence. When it comes to the environment and when it comes to protecting our precious places, including our precious forests, from the avarice and the greed of Australia's largest mining companies and corporations, this bill is yet another example that the Australian community is being comprehensively let down by the two major parties. When it comes to the protection of our WA forests from those mining companies that wish to strip them to make a buck, the bottom line has never been clearer.

The people of WA cannot keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result. Nothing changes if nothing changes. We must see change at this election, and an increased number of Greens members here in the Senate and in Western Australia is the best way to guarantee the safety of our forests.