Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

It is disappointing that, despite all of the work that this chamber has done over the last 12 months in relation to laws to protect the environment, the government has failed to match the legislation with the investment in nature that is needed. It's disappointing because not only do we know that less than 0.1 per cent is being spent on nature from the overall budget but experts have told us over and over again that, if we want to halt extinction of our native species, if we want to halt and stop the destruction of biodiversity and the loss of biodiversity for good, we actually have to be spending much, much more.

In fact, we should be spending at least one per cent of the overall budget and GDP on nature. That's what we should be doing. That's what a number of the experts have told us. There were a number of budget submissions from organisations right across the country pleading with this government to spend what is needed on nature. One per cent of what is spent across the board on all these other things could have been spared for investing in our environment, saving our native species and protecting our biodiversity—but, of course, it was not. Over and over again, this government, just like previous governments, sees looking after the environment as some kind of luxury, when of course it's not; it's fundamental. It is fundamental to the health of our communities, to the health of our air, to the health of our soil, to the wellbeing of our communities and to the sustainability of jobs in this country.

Rather than invest with what is called for—one per cent of the budget—we saw significant cuts. This budget handed down last night had $4 billion in cuts to the climate transition. That is going to leave Australia's environment in a very, very perilous position. While they cut $4 billion from the climate transition, they forked out $46 billion in fossil fuel subsidies. There is $46 billion going to subsidise the polluters and wreckers of nature and nothing more for the environment itself. It's shortsighted, it's dumb politics and it won't save us from this environmental decline.