Crucial roles for new climate and environment ministers

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) congratulates the newly appointed Albanese Government ministers taking on crucial climate and environment portfolios.

Chris Bowen has been named Climate Change & Energy Minister, while Tanya Plibersek is Australia’s new Minister for Environment & Water.

ACF congratulates Chris Bowen and Tanya Plibersek and looks forward to working with them to tackle our country’s big climate and nature challenges.

“The Albanese Government comes into power as Australia faces a climate and extinction crisis, made worse by a decade of inaction.

“So many Australians have had their lives turned upside down by mega-floods and bushfires in recent years and they are crying out for genuine action on climate change.

“There is much the Albanese Government can do to immediately ramp up climate action, from turning the safeguard mechanism into an effective tool to cut emissions from industry to restoring the role of the Climate Change Authority to signing the global methane pledge.

“Chris Bowen is an experienced politician with a deep understanding of Australia’s unique climate and energy issues who is widely respected within the climate action movement. He is the obvious and sound choice for Australia’s new Climate Change & Energy Minister.

“Tanya Plibersek’s appointment to the important portfolio of Environment & Water shows the government understands the level of reform that is required in these areas.

“Scientists have identified 19 ecosystems that are collapsing, including the Great Barrier Reef, the Murray-Darling river system and the Wet Tropics rainforests, while recent research by ACF revealed the federal government approved the destruction of more than 200,000 hectares of threatened species habitat in the last decade.

“We look forward to working with Tanya Plibersek to halt and reverse nature destruction, strengthen environment laws and set up a national Environment Protection Authority.

“The climate and nature solutions are ready and available for the new government to drive the necessary transformations – at scale and speed – for a better Australia.”

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