Australia cannot reverse its environmental decline on tonight’s nature funding cuts.
The Australian Government has announced $2.2 billion of cuts to the Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water portfolio over the next 14 years, including cuts of $67 million over seven years from uncommitted funds in the National Environmental Science Program.
Australia’s threatened species program has been confirmed for another two years, but with funding cuts compared to previous years despite the Government’s commitment to ‘no new extinctions’.
The Australian Land Conservation Alliance's Policy Lead Michael Cornish said, “Nature underpins so much of our economy, our prosperity, and our wellbeing, but the Government has just put nature funding on life support.
"Australia has committed to halting and reversing nature loss, but those commitments cannot be delivered on funding cuts. The gap between the scale of the problem and the scale of funding is only widening."
Last month, the Australian Government released its second National Ecosystem Accounts. These reconfirm just how valuable nature is, showing that healthy ecosystems store billions of dollars’ worth of carbon and protect hundreds of thousands of homes and people from storms and tidal surges.
“Many ecosystems are on the pathway to collapse, with more animals being added to the threatened species list every year. Yet the Australian Government’s trend of chronic underinvestment continues," said Mr Cornish.
“What further evidence does the Government need that public investment in nature is not keeping pace with the scale of decline?”
The only significant nature budget commitment was top-up funding for the Great Barrier Reef, and a two-year extension to the Saving Native Species Program. Previously, this Program had funding certainty over multiple years, and at higher levels.
“Nature’s share of the federal budget is so tiny already, and yet they’re still cutting it further. They’re using a teacup to put out a bushfire,” said Mr Cornish.
“There is a direct correlation between nature loss, and rising insurance costs, food prices, extreme weather impacts, and declining economic productivity. Australians are already feeling the impacts of nature loss through these mounting costs and pressures, and we cannot solve these challenges if the natural systems we rely on are left to decline and ultimately collapse.
“Underinvesting in the environment might ‘save’ money in the short term, but it is a false economy. It compounds the true costs to all Australians and postpones a much larger reckoning,” said Mr Cornish.
