Dear petition signers,

Our environment is in crisis - and this election could determine its future.

Our ecosystems are on the verge of collapse and species extinction so rapid, Australia has the highest rate of mammal extinction in the world. Even our precious koala is at risk of being extinct in parts of Australia by 2050.

And yet, the Morrison Government wants to continue polluting, destroying and clearing critical habitat for mining and development - even in places like Manyana that were destroyed by the Black Summer Bushfires - and our environmental laws are too weak to stop it.

We cannot afford another three years of inaction and obstruction.

It is great to see grassroots movements like Manyana Matters fighting to stop land clearing and protect local wildlife - it is thanks to people like you that we can bring attention to critical issues like this in the leadup to an election.

With Greens in the Senate and in balance of power we will push the next government to protect our environment and wildlife before it is lost forevermore.

As you know, what our environment needs is urgent reform and strong investment for protection and restoration - this means zero extinctions through restoration of critical habitat, cleaning up our rivers and lakes, and implementing strong laws to protect our environment from destruction.

The Greens have a plan to do this. We will invest $24.4 billion over the next decade in a mass greening and restoration program, and establish an Independent Environment Watchdog to enforce stronger environmental laws and hold governments, mining corporations, and property developers to account.

To Green Australia we will:

- Halt the extinction crisis through setting a goal of Zero Extinctions by 2030;
- Invest $24.4 billion over the next decade into greening and restoration to ensure we are protecting habitats for native plants and animals;
- Establish an Independent Environment Watchdog to enforce stronger environmental laws and protect our natural environment and wildlife from land clearing, pollution, and destruction;
- End native forest logging to help reduce fire risk, and transition workers into sustainable plantation forestry;
- Save the Great Barrier Reef with grants to improve farming practises to stop runoff, stopping damaging maritime projects, and banning offshore dumping to protect our oceans;
- Make our rivers swimmable by 2030, including Adelaide’s Torrens River, Melbourne’s Yarra, and Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin, so we can create new jobs and boost tourism; and
- Save the Murray Darling from corporate greed through water recovery targets and water buybacks.

You can read our full plan to Green Australia here: https://greens.org.au/platform/enviro#greenaus

In balance of power, the Greens will continue to fight for our endangered species, our environment, and all the communities that rely on them.

We have already introduced legislation that would strengthen our environmental laws in line with the recommendations of the Samuel Review, and we are committed to passing this in the new parliament.

Australians do not want to stand by and watch as corporate greed pushes our environment to the point of collapse, and climate disasters continue to devastate both communities and the environment alike.

The Greens are ready to fight with you.

In solidarity,
Sarah Hanson Young, Greens spokesperson for the environment.

Authorised by S. Hanson-Young, Australian Greens Adelaide SA 5000