The Liberal Government has a long way to go, with much stronger action and more funds required, if it stands a chance of convincing voters it has a credible environment policy, the Greens say.
“A mere $22 million for conservation projects won’t go far in offsetting the damage the Liberal Government’s policies have done to the environment. We need strong action, and funding, from the Government if we are going to help restore the environment,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“The Liberal Government has cut the environment budget by 37 per cent since Tony Abbott became Prime Minister. They are crowdfunding protections for our threatened species rather than fronting up the money, and doing nothing to address plastics choking our marine life.
“This is a Government that has overseen the destruction of wetlands, forests, river systems, and allows big polluters to keep polluting. Emissions are rising and they are heaping coals on the fire. They are listening to the Mining Lobby over environment groups on reviewing the EPBC Act.
“The Government knows climate change and the environment are key election issues, and they’re trying to buy voters off with less than half-measures. The best thing we can do for the environment now is get the Liberals out of Government and ensure there is strong Greens representation in the Senate.”
