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Where is Labor’s Biodiversity Policy Platform?

 Marilyn Nuske, Independent candidate for the Victorian seat of Bendigo West, today slammed the Victorian government over its abject failure to protect our natural environment.

While our national and Victorian ecosystems continue to degrade, with ongoing wildlife species loss, the Victorian government insults the Victorian public by dressing up old policy as something new and failing to fund genuine environmental protection.

For example, in June the Victorian Minister for the Environment, Lily D’Ambrosio, announced $10 million dollars in support of the Victorian Biodiversity 2037 policy. This, she boasts is part of $560 million spent by the Victorian Labor government on biodiversity since 2014.

This may sound like a lot of money, but compared with the seriousness, magnitude and urgency of the environmental crisis, as spelled out by Australia’s leading ecologists, $10 million is peanuts. Some of Australia’s foremost environmental scientists now identify the current lack of political will by governments to address the environmental decline and wildlife loss as the foremost threat to biodiversity. Our scientists know what to do, but are starved of the funding to act by witless and uncaring governments.

The reality is that biodiversity protection and rehabilitation is a lowest order priority for the Victorian Labor government. Sadly, Victorian voters are faced with a race to the bottom between Labor and the Coalition on environmental stewardship.

One prominent ecologist recently stated that: “…we must… invest what’s actually required – billions, not breadcrumbs”. The Victorian Minister’s recent announcement of $560 million over the past 8 years is simply insulting – on average $70 million per year. This is window dressing and truly pathetic.

Rather than recycle old policy, Victorian Labor must give Victorian voters informed, up-to-date policy choices. However, where is Victorian Labor’s 2022 biodiversity policy platform? The most recent policy on its website is for 2018 – from the last state election. Is Labor afraid to expose its latest environmental policy to public scrutiny in an election context? I believe so. 

On election day, please vote Marilyn Nuske Independent Candidate 1 for Bendigo West to help bring fundamental change to protect our voiceless wildlife and precious environmental inheritance.

Contact: Marilyn Nuske Email: marilyn@marilynnuske.com