Policy issues
Air pollution kills more Australians each year than car crashes, yet the Federal Government had been dithering on the delivery of a National Plan for Clean Air.
The NSW Government's coastal management reform package seeks to realise vision of thriving and resilient communities that live and work on a healthy coast.
Public lands should be held on trust for the people of NSW; managed by the Government with management directed at identifying and protecting the diverse values of public lands. The NSW Government is proposing significant changes to the way Crown land is managed in NSW.
Our national environment law protects the places and wildlife we love. For decades, federal environmental laws have played a vital role in protecting nationally important environmental values from destructive development proposals supported by state governments.
Land-use planning and development is intrinsically linked with environmental protection, nature conservation and natural resource management.
The generation and careless disposal of waste can cause air and water pollution, land contamination and the loss of land that is used for landfill sites. While huge gains have been made through recycling programs, in 2008–09, Australians generated 46.8 million tonnes of rubbish, of which only 52 per cent was recycled.
Our rivers and wetlands are under critical stress due to a long history of catchment degradation and unsustainable water extraction. Over the past century, the Murray Darling Basin has experienced a dramatic decline in wetlands, waterbirds and native fish populations, due to a massive increase in the volume of water extracted for irrigation.
The NSW Government has ended a 26–year ban on uranium exploration in NSW and is poised to allow mining for the first time. Uranium mining is linked to the production of some of the world’s most toxic and long-lasting industrial wastes and the proliferation of the world’s most destructive weapons.