Environment & Biodiversity

Louise Morris

ABC's Four Corners did what investigative journalism is supposed to do: follow the money. In its episode Timber Turmoil, reporter Jessica Longbottom documented how Victoria's ban on native forest logging - a genuine environmental win - has not ended the destruction. It has simply moved it.

Louise Morris

A migratory brown skua found dead at Cape Le Grand National Park in Western Australia has now been confirmed as Australia's first mainland H5N1 case, making our continent the last to fall to a virus that has reshaped wildlife populations across the globe. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins described the detection as "sobering, but not unexpected." Scientists and conservation organisations have been saying exactly that for years.

Nicole Sleeman

In the Cairns suburb of Freshwater, chainsaws are about to destroy an 80-year-old raintree to make way for a dual-occupancy investment property. One of the building’s two pools will sit where the raintree stands now. It feels like a cruel joke, but this is how our year-long battle to save it will end.

Justine Bell-James

On the last Parliamentary sitting day of 2025, Labor passed its long-awaited reforms to Australia’s nature laws following a deal with the Greens. According to Environment Minister Murray Watt, these reforms would deliver tangible benefits for the environment and “protect what is precious”. Now the dust has settled on getting the legislation passed, conservationists want to know if they will work.

Jess Ward-Jones

The polyphagous shot-hole borer – no bigger than a sesame seed – has already devastated parts of Perth’s urban forest. Thousands of trees have been removed, eradication efforts have failed, and now new research suggests Sydney could be dangerously vulnerable.

Louise Morris

There is a bad habit in Australian politics: profits are privatised, risks are socialised, and taxpayers are left holding the bill. Tasmania's native forest logging sector has been a repeat offender and appears to refuse to change course.