Wilderness Society calls on new Ministers to take decisive action on the environment

Media Release
September 11, 2010

‘No time for half measures’: Wilderness Society calls on new Ministers to take decisive action on the environment

The Wilderness Society has welcomed the appointment by Prime Minister Gillard of two fresh faces to key environment portfolios, as part of her new Federal Ministry. Tony Burke is the new Minister for Sustainable Population, Communities, Environment and Water, and Greg Combet is the new Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.

“We congratulate Tony Burke and Greg Combet on their appointments”, said Anthony Esposito, National Campaigner for the Wilderness Society.

The Wilderness Society believes the recent election has delivered the Government a challenge and an important opportunity to provide a far stronger focus on the environment.

“The record vote for the Greens on August 21 demonstrates that the community wants decisive action from the Parliament on climate change, nature conservation and other environmental priorities,” added Dr Tim Seelig for the Society’s National Campaign Committee.

The Wilderness Society has called on the ministers to support an overdue raft of important conservation measures. These include the protection of native forests and our unique natural ecosystems, creating a national network of large marine sanctuaries, supporting Indigenous conservation, managing and protecting our rivers, stopping the gas hub development in the Kimberley, securing World Heritage listing for Cape York Peninsula and protecting wild rivers across northern Australia.

“Ministers Burke and Combet are responsible for the protection of our environment and developing a national response to dangerous climate change. The portfolios covered by these two new Ministers represent an agenda for transformation in the way we look after our environment, conserve our resources, support people and develop sustainable communities. However, there can be no half measures on these issues,” said Mr Esposito.

“An early test of the new Parliament will be resisting ill conceived attempts to wind back Queensland’s wild rivers laws which provide critical environment protection to healthy, free flowing waterways on Cape York, in the Gulf region and in the Channel Country in Western Queensland”, Dr Seelig suggested.

The Wilderness Society is also expecting the new Environment Minister to honour Labor commitments on the timely release of draft maps for South West marine sanctuaries which accord with high standards of sound marine science.