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Environment Policies
Major Political Parties - 1996 & 2001

The following are a few extracts from some Australian political parties' manifestos. To check for their current stand visit their web sites.

The Coalition's Environment Policy - Federal Election 2001

  • Enshrined compensation for farmers who would give up their rights to water and accept land-clearing restrictions.
  • Allocated $350 million of the total $1 billion announced in the 2001-2002 budget for the second tranche of the Natural Heritage Trust fund for salinity and water quality projects.
  • Allocated seven year, $700 million plan to tackle salinity and water quality.
  • Committed the Coalition to working with states and territories to develop national standards for salinity, water quality and bio-diversity.
  • Committed the Coalition to review energy policy.
  • Committed the Coalition to investigate further options to provide tax incentives for better conservation practices
  • Presented no final position on ratification of Kyoto Treaty.
Figure 1 The Coalition's Environment Policy - Federal Election 2001

The Coalition's Environment Policy - Federal Election 1996

John Howard's (Leader of the Opposition at the time) environment statement Saving our Natural Heritage was in many respects a carbon copy of the ALP Our Land statement, but with important differences, the most prominent of which was the linking of funding arrangements to the part sale of Telstra. The good news was that funding for this package, at around $1.15 billion over 5 years, was virtually double the funding for the ALP package. However, at the time there was the problem that if the sell-off of one-third of Telstra were not approved in the Senate, this package would not have been funded. Why the Coalition decided to link environment funding (as opposed to defence funding, for example) to the privatization of Telstra is not clear. (The Coalition Government eventually succeeded in getting its Natural Heritage Trust legislation through the senate.) Commitments on forests and greenhouse were seriously lacking. Furthermore, the Coalition intended to abandon the 'three mines' policy, opening the way for increased mining and export of uranium. Specifically, the Coalition statement included:

  • a National Vegetation Initiative, covering
    • re-vegetation of 250,000 hectares annually ($254m)
    • incentives for protection of remnant vegetation ($64m)
  • an audit of land & water degradation ($32m)
  • an expansion of Landcare programs ($279m) covering:
    • taxation incentives ($80m)
    • property management plans ($15m)
    • environmental monitoring
    • education
  • a Murray Darling 2001 program ($163m), covering:
    • improving water quality
    • flow regimes to meet both consumptive and ecological requirements
    • reducing salinity on irrigation properties
    • managing native fish and controlling European carp
  • a community-based Rivercare program ($85m)
  • a Coasts and Clean Seas program covering pollution, catchment management ($100m) and Oceans Policy
  • development of a national reserve system covering reserves, off-reserve conservation, endangered species and rangelands ($80m)
  • wetlands ($8m)
  • endangered species ($16m)
  • management of World Heritage areas ($12m) and World Heritage listing for sub-Antarctic Islands
  • control of feral animals ($16m) and weeds ($19m)
  • a strategy to control urban air pollution ($16m)

At the time, taking the sale of one third of Telstra as a given, the Coalition's package was a major commitment to the environment.

Figure 2 The Coalition's Environment Policy - Federal Election 1996

The Australian Labor Party Environment Policy - Federal Election 2001

The policy included:
  • A national strategy to combat salinity by linking funding of natural resource management to environmental outcomes.
  • The use of market mechanisms to create demand for good land management.
  • The establishment of national legislation to control land clearing.
  • the in principle support for the ratification of the Kyoto Treaty.
  • Commitment to preserving the natural state of the Great Barrier reef and tackling the problems of water quality in Australia's most famous natural asset.
  • policy to prevent all mineral, oil and gas exploration in the world heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef area.
  • policy to expand the boundaries of the Great Barrier reef marine park to include reefs in the Coral Sea such as Osprey, Marion and Lihou. - regions where seismic testing for oil is under way.
  • The scrapping of plans for a new nuclear reactor at Sydney's Lucas Heights.
  • The banning of the development of the Jabiluka uranium mine in Kakadu.
  • The placing of a moratorium on wood-fired power plants until an independent inquiry is held into the burning of native forest timber for power.
  • The commitment of $30 million for investment loans to develop renewable energy projects and a further $3 million for researching regional effects of climate change.
Figure 3 The Australian Labor Party Environment Policy - Federal Election 2001

The Australian Labor Party Environment Policy - Federal Election 1996

Paul Keating's (Prime Minister at the time) January 1996 environment statement Our Land focussed on biodiversity conservation, water resources and ecosystems, and additions to the National Landcare Program. Total funding for the package was $463 million over four years. While there were significant gaps in the statement and failings in the environmental performance of the ALP in government, this package itself was comprehensive in the issues that it addressed. These included:

  • a national reserves system ($80m), including a new Nature Conservation Trust Fund for land acquisition
  • promotion of cooperative management of protected areas by Aboriginal people
  • improved management of World Heritage sites ($10m)
  • an Endangered Species Recovery Program ($13.4m)
  • more funding for managing wetlands ($6m), and the establishment of a wetlands network
  • funding for the Save the Bush program ($21.3m)
  • extended Corridors of Green program ($8.1m)
  • a review of incentives and disincentives for nature conservation on private land
  • a National River Health program, including a National Water Audit ($15.3m)
  • more funding for the community-based Waterwatch Program ($6.3m)
  • more funds for feral animal and weed control ($13m)
  • a $174.5m expansion of the National Landcare Program covering:
    • land/catchment management plans ($128m)
    • property management plans ($34.5m)
    • weeds and vertebrate pests ($10m)
    • indicators of sustainable agriculture ($2m)
  • a major Murray Darling Basin Initiative ($98m) covering:
    • flow regimes to meet both consumptive and ecological requirements
    • rehabilitation of riparian vegetation
    • management of significant wetlands
    • reduction in nutrient pollution
    • extension of salinity programs and farm forestry
The positives of the ALP's statement was balanced against the major negatives in the environmental performance of the Keating Federal Labor Government (prior to 1996) particularly in relation to forests and greenhouse. The statement did not redeem the performance of the Government in these critical environmental areas.
Figure 4 The Australian Labor Party Environment Policy - Federal Election 1996

The Australian Democrats Environment Policy - Federal Election 2001

  • Great Barrier Reef: phase out prawn and scalloping trawling, increase protected areas to 50 per cent of park, ban new canal estates, control land-based sources of marine pollution and update Great Barrier Reef Marine Par k Act.
  • Water: establish new National Water Catchment Authority with power to draft and implement measures such as water caps.
  • Greenhouse: reduce greenhouse gases by 20 per cent by 2020, mandate 10 per cent increase in wind and solar-generated electricity by 2010, introduce tighter emissions standards and energy efficiency in coal and gas-fired p ower stations.
  • Nuclear: terminate all existing uranium mine contracts, ban new nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights, Sydney
  • EPBS: update the Commonwealth Environment Protection Biodiversity and Conservation Act by introducing new federal intervention triggers.
  • Land: ban clear-fell logging and woodchipping native forests as well as broadscale land clearing.
Figure 5 The Australian Democrats Environment Policy - Federal Election 2001

The Australian Democrats Environment Policy - Federal Election 1996

The Democrats released two environment statements. The first entitled 10 Practical Things We Should Do Now for the Australian Environment, proposed ten measures, all of which were to be funded by revenue and tax savings in areas which harm the environment, and covered:
  • paper recycling
  • renewable energy and energy efficiency
  • cutting packaging waste
  • protecting rivers by encouraging irrigators to conserve water
  • improving treatment of sewage effluent
  • introduction of a 10% woodchip export levy
  • transferring roads funding to urban public transport
  • green jobs
  • stopping clearing of native vegetation
  • establishing a Bureau of Environmental Economics

This plan was released in response to the Coalition's policy, where funding was contingent on the sale of Telstra. Funding initiatives included a greenhouse emissions levy, a woodchip export levy, and a 50% cut in diesel tax rebates to the mining industry.

The Democrats' second environment statement was more comprehensive, and included:
  • a Landcare package to implement catchment management plans, and other measures to combat land degradation and salinity
  • environmental flows for rivers, and revegetation of river frontages
  • protecting wild rivers
  • a commitment to public ownership of water
  • improved coastal management covering:
    • coastal reserves
    • pollution reduction
    • development of a National Coastal Management Strategy.
  • land disposal or recycling of all sewage effluent
  • a renewed commitment on forest conservation and export woodchipping
  • protection of biodiversity through adequate reserves, off-reserve conservation, wilderness conservation and World Heritage
  • protection of endangered species
  • compliance with international obligations on greenhouse emissions
  • promoting the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency
  • a ban on uranium mining and export
  • various initiatives on air quality and public transport
In terms of the environment The Australian Democrats' policy was excellent.
Figure 6 The Australian Democrats Environment Policy - Federal Election 1996

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