Australian Greens: There’s a threatened species crisis – yet no money in the Budget for native forests and…

Australian Greens Spokesperson for Forests, Janet Rice, has lashed out at the Labor Government for failing to budget to protect native forests and their threatened animals, birds and plants.

$224 million has been allocated as part of the Labor Government’s Threatened Species Action Plan but it fails to protect native forests. 

Senator Rice said: 

“According to a parliamentary budget office costing, it will take $24.4 billion over the next decade to restore wildlife habitat and protect threatened species. $224 million is an insult. 

“In this Budget Labor has made their priorities on climate and the environment very clear, giving over $40billion in fossil fuel subsidies and not a cent to native forests and their threatened animals, birds and plants. 

“As long as the government continues to approve new coal and gas projects and support native forest logging, their zero extinction target remains a farce. 

“Species like the critically endangered wollert or leadbeaters possum and the endangered greater glider lost so much of their habitat in the black summer fires and their forest homes are still being destroyed by logging.

“If Labor were serious about saving threatened species, they would end native forest logging and meaningfully invest in environmental restoration and recovery plans.”