7 July 2026
As NSW gears up for next year’s state election, the Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC) has looked back on the past three years of the Minns Government – where it has delivered on key environmental election commitments and where it has missed the mark.
Released in July 2026, the NCC’s Minns Government Environment Report card assesses the government’s performance across five key environmental themes to identify where nature-positive goals have been met and where commitment is lacking.
Protect the Great Koala National Park from logging (score: A)
Stop broadscale land clearing (score: Fail)
Revive our inland rivers (score: Fail)
Accelerate renewable energy and climate laws (score: B)
Transition NSW away from coal and gas mining (score: Fail)
The NCC – the state’s leading environmental advocacy organisation – alongside other community groups, are urging the Minns Government to work toward lifting its grades and keeping its promises to protect nature.
Quotes attributed to Nature Conservation Council NSW CEO Jacqui Mumford:
“Since its election in March 2023, the Minns Government has delivered legacy-building steps to protect NSW’s unique habitat and wildlife in the form of establishing the Great Koala National Park and legislating the Climate Change Act but has slept on other crucial commitments.
“Promises undelivered has meant environmental destruction continues to threaten the future of our wildlife, rivers and climate.
“We need to see urgent action on things like ending native forest logging, stopping coal mine expansions, and making rental homes more liveable, to put NSW on track for a brighter future.
“Right now, nature in many parts of NSW is in crisis. We have out of control rates of land clearing, we’re experiencing one of the warmest winters on record as coal and gas continues to be extracted and burned, and logging operations in native forests are destroying critical habitat for threatened species.
“The Minns Government was voted in by people who wanted to see nature-positive action, who care about the environment, and are concerned about climate change.
“The time for action on these issues is now.”
Quotes attributed to spokesperson for Asians for Climate Solutions (ACS), Hazel Waters:
“When looking at [the NCC report], we are looking at more than just grades. We are looking at whether the choices made today are setting us up for a safer, fairer future for the next generation.
“The full Great Koala National Park is a major win. It shows that real protection is possible when the government listens, makes a promise, and follows through.
“The progress on renewable energy and climate laws also matters, but one good mark does not save the whole report card.
“A failed subject for the environment is not small. An ‘F’ on land clearing means old-growth habitat, soil and shade are being lost. An ‘F’ on inland rivers means rivers that should carry life are being pushed closer to collapse. An ‘F’ on coal and gas means communities are being asked to believe in climate targets while fossil fuel projects are still being allowed to expand.
“For the communities we work with, these failures are not abstract policy problems. They show up in the lives of elderly dealing with heat waves in poorly insulated homes, for renters who cannot easily make their homes safer and cheaper, for small business owners trying to survive rising energy bills, and for migrant parents who came here hoping their children will grow up with clean air, reliable food, and more secure future than the one they left behind.
Waters said environmental actions at home, like saving resources, cannot replace the government’s responsibility to create a safer, cleaner future for all.
“Ours elders can switch off a light, but they can’t stop land-clearing loopholes. Our families can reduce waste at home, but they cannot restore the health of the Murray Darling Basin without government leadership. Small businesses can electrify, but they cannot transition away from coal and gas without strong public leadership.
“Every new term is an opportunity to do better. The Minns Government now has an opportunity to lift its grades. It can choose to move forward with environmental leadership, rooted in culture and care. It can close loopholes that allow broad-scale land clearing, urgently restore inland rivers and follow expert advice, and rule out new coal and gas expansions.
Quotes attributed to Gia Mehdi, member of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition:
“The Minns Government’s acceleration of coal-fired power and reversal of a decade-long ban on gas exploration to drill large areas in far west NSW is dangerous and unacceptable, with the Chain Valley coal mine expansion alone set to emit one billion tonnes of additional pollution.
“Every year we are confronted with increased climate destruction, from bushfires to flooding and heatwaves, provoking young people like me to question our survival in fifty years.
“The Minns Government’s failure in transitioning away from coal and gas should concern every single resident of NSW. The climate crisis does not discriminate. It affects everyone and threatens our safe tomorrow; safety from climate disasters, energy insecurity and rising cost of living.
“We demand the NSW Government terminate the expansion of fossil fuel projects, listen to First Nation communities who have cared for country for millennia, and protect the land and waterways that we call home.”
Quotes attributed to Wies Schuiringa, member of the Ryde Gladesville Climate Action group and resident of Ryde for 40 years:
“It’s important we stop the generation of electricity from coal and gas-fired power stations… that the state government does not approve any more gas and coal mines.
“There are a lot of high-rise building [in Ryde electorate] and that is going to be a problem with climate change, with longer and hotter summers, and the problem of urban heat. There’s not enough room for trees to grow to cool down the area and that means that people will need their air conditioners for many hours, which will use a lot of electricity putting pressure on the grid and wallets.
“The renewable energy shift needs to be strongly supported.”
