What the Change in Government Means for Environmental Action
The Protect Beautiful Queensland (PBQ) alliance is pleased to welcome the Crisafulli Government’s suite of commitments to protect nature. Inherent to the privilege of leading Queensland is the responsibility to safeguard its plants, animals and landscapes, some found nowhere else in the world.
The alliance has welcomed the LNP’s commitment to ongoing support for the Queensland Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger Program and the continued resolution of land tenure on Cape York.
Expanding and properly managing protected areas in collaboration with Traditional Owners not only helps address the biodiversity crisis but also delivers employment outcomes and protects billions of dollars generated by travellers drawn to Queensland’s natural and cultural wonders.
The LNP Crisafulli Government has announced support for:
- 150 additional rangers,
- the expansion and increased management of national parks,
- greater investment in private protected areas,
- environmental stewardship payments for farmers and other landholders,
- continuation of the Cape York Tenure Resolution Program,
- increased support for outdoor recreation, and
- significant investment in the State’s 11 regional Natural Resource Management organisations.
We look forward to working with the new Queensland government on delivery of its commitments, developing time-bound targets and shaping new policy.
Polling commissioned by Protect Beautiful Queensland earlier this year highlighted that 77% of Queenslanders are in favour of expanding national parks. This data underscores the public’s desire for greater conservation efforts and the protection of Queensland’s unique natural heritage.
Ensuring parks are kept healthy and accessible will allow more Queenslanders to enjoy the outdoor lifestyle that defines the state.
Queensland’s natural environments play a pivotal role in the lives of thousands of residents and form the backbone of the state’s tourism industry.
This term of government will be crucial in delivering biodiversity targets that safeguard more of the treasured places Queenslanders hold dear.
In 2022, the Australian Government endorsed the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, part of an international initiative to combat the extinction crisis and the ongoing decline of natural environments. This framework includes the ambitious 30 by 30 goal: protecting 30 percent of both land and sea by 2030. In 2023, all Australian states and territories, including Queensland, pledged to contribute to meeting this national target.
To deliver on the Crisafulli government’s commitment, Protect Beautiful Queensland has proposed a time-bound policy agenda to double the state’s protected areas to 17%, marking a significant step toward Australia’s overall commitment of protecting 30% of its land by 2030. For Queensland, the most biodiverse state in the country, this goal is both achievable and widely supported, representing a contribution of four percent to the national target.
Protect Beautiful Queensland is a non-partisan, evidence-based alliance that provides decision-makers with policy and delivery solutions to support the protection of Queensland’s natural places. By working together, we can ensure the preservation of Queensland’s unique and irreplaceable natural heritage for generations to come.
For more information, please visit https://protectqueensland.org.au/
