THE HON TANYA PLIBERSEK MP
MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER
Zoo and Aquarium Association Annual Conference
Sydney Masonic Centre, Sydney
Tuesday, 6 August 2024
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Thank you to Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia for having me here today, on the homeland of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation.
For thousands of years, the Gadigal people have cared for the diverse plant and animal life and ecosystems of this beautiful land.
I thank them for their stewardship and pay my respects to their elders, past and present.
Leaders, it’s wonderful to be here with you today.
I’m particularly pleased I have this opportunity to tell you how much I value the conservation work you do with threatened species.
Over the past two years, I’ve been privileged to visit many zoo and aquarium facilities across the country, to see and support your work.
And what amazing work you do!
Zoos help people connect with nature. We are able to see and learn about animals and their environments.
This understanding is the first step to caring about and acting to protect species.
Zoos also play absolutely critical roles in research and captive breeding programs.
This incredible work is going on across the length and breadth of our continent.
Whether it’s Taronga Zoo helping give bilbies the best chance of recovery.
Or Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary and Alice Springs Desert Park striving for the survival of the endangered mala.
Or Perth Zoo helping ensure the welfare of translocated Western Ground Parrots.
Or Cairns Aquarium promoting the heritage values of the Great Barrier Reef.
You are truly leading the way for wildlife and people.
And I can assure you that you are not on your own.
The Australian Government is on your side.
Today, I want to speak to you about the reforms and investment we’re making to support this challenging but worthwhile work.
I also have an exciting announcement – of a new investment we are making in your work.
Australian plants and animals are doing it tough, to say the least.
For too long, we've seen biodiversity loss in Australia go unchecked.
We know that there are real threats to plants and animals in this country.
Threats from climate change.
More frequent and intense bushfires.
Devastating floods and prolonged drought.
Not to speak of development that leads to habitat destruction.
These pressures have left our environment in very poor shape.
They’ve put many of our native animals at risk of disappearing.
The numbat, the Gouldian Finch, the mountain pygmy-possum, and more.
This cannot continue.
Australia cannot continue to wear the badge of the mammal extinction capital of the world.
Our government recognises the urgency of the problem.
We’ve taken up the challenge of fixing it.
Halting biodiversity loss – and protecting and conserving 30 percent of our land and marine areas by 2030.
Stopping the decline of nature. Committing to zero new extinctions.
Starting the process of repairing and restoring what has been damaged.
And making sure we leave Australia in a better state than it is now.
Together, these constitute our government’s vision for a Nature Positive Australia.
They’re the building blocks of our government’s Nature Positive Plan.
A plan that will better protect our unique plants and animals.
A plan to ensure our threatened species have the very best chance of survival.
And it starts with environmental law reforms.
Reforms that make our regulatory system fit for purpose.
We’ve already passed the first stage of our Nature Positive laws.
That means water for drinking and agriculture is now better protected from coal and gas projects.
It means we can now go ahead to establish a world-first nature repair market.
A market that will encourage investment in biodiversity repair and protection.
We’re progressing with the Stage 2 laws.
Stage 2 will set up Australia’s first ever national environment protection agency.
An agency that has teeth.
One that will better protect nature with strong new powers and penalties.
The Stage 2 laws will also deliver Environment Information Australia.
A new independent body to provide better environmental data and information.
We’re backing this suite of work with the necessary funding.
Including around $307 million in the last Budget to support improvements in these laws and institutions that will help deliver a Nature Positive Australia.
We’ve identified the problems and the changes needed to fix them.
Now it’s time to work towards results.
This work is urgent, so we need to be ambitious.
So, we’re supporting law reform with ambitious national biodiversity targets.
Targets backed by action to make them achievable.
The Threatened Species Action Plan is key to this.
This is an ambitious plan to stop further extinctions in Australia.
To prevent any new extinctions of plants and animals.
I thank those of you who helped identify the priority species in the plan.
The zero new extinctions target will contribute to targets under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Which is part of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and we’re working with states and territories on other key targets like protecting 30 percent of land and 30 percent of water by 2030, and repairing damaged landscapes.
The task to save our species is enormous.
No single government, group or strategy would be enough.
We need all hands on deck to stop extinctions in this country.
You are key partners in the fight against extinction.
Whether through research, captive breeding and safekeeping.
Or contributing your expertise to recovery actions in wild habitats.
Many ZAA-accredited facilities are doing a fantastic job with native species breeding programs to help save some of our at-risk native species, and many of you are engaged in international efforts to protect iconic species too.
I’m pleased our government can support your work.
A great example is the work by Taronga Zoo and Zoos Victoria to breed the critically endangered Southern Corroboree Frog in their purpose-built facilities.
We have recently invested $480,000 to increase production of frog eggs and juveniles through our Saving Native Species program.
The young frogs will be reintroduced to their only wild habitat in Kosciuszko National Park, boosting the species’ chances of survival.
We’re also backing Zoos Victoria to install 400 nest boxes for Leadbeater’s Possum in the species’ core range in the Victorian Central Highlands.
These boxes will provide dens for about 525 possums.
$360,000 from the Saving Native Species program is going towards this work.
Across Australia, we’re spending over $224 million through this program to boost outcomes for threatened native plants and animals.
I could never imagine when I was growing up that koalas would be endangered on the east coast.
But they are.
We are investing more than $76 million to ensure that there are still koalas in the wild for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.
This includes $3.5 million for the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital and $2.4 million for Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, to help with the vital work of these two ZAA members in delivery of world-class care and rehabilitation of our iconic animals.
These are just a few examples of the partnerships we need for success.
Partnerships are important – now more than ever.
High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza or Avian Flu is something that the government is taking very seriously and preparing for. Because the new H5 variant is coming for us.
This will require an all-in approach with public and private organisations working together.
The Federal government, together with state and territory governments, want to work with you.
We are worried about the extinction risk of birds that are in captive breeding programs, where numbers are already critically low in the wild and there’s little capacity to cope with a new disease.
We are also worried that species in the wild that are currently doing well - or travelling along okay - will become vulnerable to extinction due to mass deaths.
Avian influenza doesn’t just impact birds. It’s also impacting mammals overseas. We know that seals and sea lions are at particularly high risk.
The spring bird migration from the northern hemisphere in the coming months is a particularly dangerous time.
I know many of you here today are already assessing the risks and preparing for this new strain of avian influenza.
We need to continue to work on national preparedness and look forward to harnessing the experience and brain power in this room, to help minimise the threats.
When it comes to threatened species, we are investing in our commitment to have no new extinctions on our watch.
Today, I’d like to make a special announcement that complements the important work you all do.
The Australian Government has provided a $2.8 million boost for the people who are pivotal for recovering species including for the Orange-bellied Parrot, Eastern Quoll and Native Guava.
The recovery of our most imperilled plants and animals is a complex business.
Recovery teams are collaborative groups of experts and other partners who guide the science, on-ground action and partnerships needed to protect our threatened frogs, birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles and plants.
For example, the Regent Honeyeater Recovery Team and partner organisations work together to restore habitat in key areas of the Regent Honeyeater range, tackle threats such as the noisy miner bird, and to supplement the wild population each year with individuals bred in captivity.
The Recovery Team makes sure these actions are science-based and that local land managers and First Nations people are integrated into the recovery effort.
Four organisations have been awarded funding to appoint specialists to coordinate recovery efforts and improve the outcomes of threatened species.
This includes the Zoo and Aquarium Association, which will receive more than $740,000 to appoint four recovery coordinators, including for the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby.
This will help support the team coordinate recovery planning and provide technical support.
This is important to inform the suite of actions that will help the species, including predator control, captive breeding and translocations.
The coordinators will help to guide actions for the long-term survival of species including the Central Rock Rat and Growling Grass Frog through ensuring funding is prioritised for the most urgent tasks.
Announced today, these investments include:
- $746,669 for the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) to appoint four recovery coordinators for species including the Orange-bellied Parrot, Central Rock Rat, Growling Grass Frog and Bush-tailed Rock Wallaby
- $253,000 for the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania to appoint a recovery action coordinator to support existing recovery teams and help prioritise action for species such as the Eastern Quoll, Freshwater Crayfish, Red Handfish and Ammonite Snail
- More than $1.6 million to help Birdlife Australia establish recovery teams with dedicated coordinators for the Australasian Bittern, Eastern Curlew and Hooded Plover and assist other existing recovery teams.
- $200,000 for Australian Network for Plant Conservation to coordinate efforts to save the critically endangered Native Guava, Angle-stemmed Myrtle, Scrub Turpentine and Smooth Scrub Turpentine that are threatened by Myrtle Rust, an invasive fungus that attacks plants.
This $2.8 million funding is just one part of our $550 million investment to protect native species and tackle invasive pests.
Species recovery involves multiple partners working collaboratively, and complex inter-related activities such as research, engagement, interventions, monitoring and conservation actions.
This funding is about supporting the teams who are developing, coordinating and implementing the recovery plans targeted at ensuring the long-term survival of our most threatened plants and animals.
Many of our beloved threatened species are battling the impacts of disease, feral pests and the devastating legacy of the Black Summer bushfires.
That’s why we’re taking strong action to better protect and recover our native wildlife.
It goes without saying that any fight to prevent wildlife extinction would be futile without measures to protect their habitat.
Many of our precious animals are running out of places they can call home.
In October, Australia will host the first Global Nature Positive Summit – in Sydney.
This is our opportunity to set the agenda for a nature positive future on the world stage.
My international counterparts, corporate leaders, Indigenous peoples, scientists and environmental organisations will be attending.
Together, we will identify opportunities for governments, eNGOs and others to create incentives and frameworks that encourage positive change.
Importantly, we will hear from many different perspectives, in particular Indigenous and Pacific Island voices.
Together, we will build on the global momentum for investment in nature.
And together, we will demonstrate commitment and progress towards the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
I’d like to wrap up on a Tassie note.
Perhaps the best-known extinction in this country is the Tasmanian Tiger.
I’m reminded of the 1935 film Tasmania the Wonderland.
It contains footage of the last-known Tasmanian Tiger.
Filmed in captivity.
In a zoo.
It’s 21 seconds of footage.
Just 21 seconds of footage of an animal that was still alive.
But the powerful message it sends cannot be lost on us.
A stark reminder of what we have lost.
A wake-up call about what we may lose again.
But also a message of hope about the future, because zoos have changed so much since that footage was taken.
Hope based on the amazing work by institutions like zoos, aquariums, botanic gardens, sanctuaries and wildlife parks.
Hope based on the leadership and investment of an Australian Government that cares about our environment.
I know your influence transcends the physical boundaries you work in.
Your influence as educators and champions of research, citizen science and community outreach in support of species recovery efforts. That is also important.
I encourage you to maintain these vital roles.
We’re on this journey together.
The journey to a Nature Positive Australia – where we start to halt and then reverse the decline nature, and improve on what we inherited – handing something better onto our kids.
I look forward to our continued partnership.
Thank you.
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