Australian Conservation Foundation

The Australian Conservation Foundation has welcomed the Opposition’s commitment of $750 million per year in additional ongoing resources to creating green jobs and restoring the health of our environment.

“Australia’s wildlife is at serious risk from climate change, which compounds threats such as invasive species and feral animals, poor land and water management,” said Amy Hankinson, ACF’s National Liaison Officer.

“The Opposition’s proposed investment to help our environment needs to be well targeted with clear environmental outcomes and an investment in scientific and management capacity to ensure we make a difference.
In addition to investing in more people on the ground, we need to expand Australia’s national reserve system and its management.

“A multi-billion dollar national Biodiversity and Climate Change Fund is required to help deal with the impacts of climate change and halt the massive decline in Australia’s biodiversity.

Mr Abbott’s announcement of 15,000 jobs could go a long way to returning many of Australia’s most threatened natural habitats to health.

“We need the full range of occupations and expertise to do the job right – from dedicated individuals who can tackle weeds and feral species, to scientists and land managers needed to monitor the condition of our ecosystems and effectiveness of restoration work.

“ACF welcomes the ‘green army’ which must provide real and ongoing opportunities to rural people struggling with drought and the impacts of water reform, not just jobs for backpackers.

ACF has also welcomed Mr Abbott’s recognition of the scale of the problems in the Murray Darling Basin and the imperative to fix it, while acknowledging the positive steps currently being taken to restore health of the Basin.

“The current actions to buy back water for the environment and develop a new system of basin management are delivering the goods with $1 billion spent on water recovery since the 2007 election,” said Dr Arlene Buchan, ACF’s Healthy Rivers Campaigner.

“Things can certainly be improved but this is not the time to turn the system on its head given that it’s the first time to date that real action is delivering real outcomes for the river system,” she said.