What is Australian environmental values?

Australian environmental values are the principles and commitments that the country has embedded in its laws, international agreements, and cultural attitudes toward the natural world. They include protection of biodiversity, stewardship of land and water, recognition of Indigenous ecological knowledge, and a precautionary approach to activities that might cause irreversible harm.

The principal federal environmental law is the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act), which protects matters of national environmental significance including World Heritage properties, Ramsar wetlands, threatened species and ecological communities, migratory species, the marine environment, and nuclear actions. The Act requires environmental impact assessments for major projects and is administered by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. A major review by Graeme Samuel in 2020 found the Act to be ineffective and recommended substantial reform, which the federal Labor government has been progressing through the Nature Positive reform package.

International commitments include the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (ratified by Australia in 1993), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (which protects 67 Australian wetland sites), the World Heritage Convention (20 Australian sites listed), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992), the Paris Agreement (2015, ratified in 2016), and various regional agreements with Pacific Island states. The Climate Change Act 2022, passed by the Albanese government, sets a legal target of reducing emissions by 43 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050.

State and territory governments add another layer through their own environmental laws, national parks, and biodiversity strategies. Local councils manage planning rules that affect tree clearing, water sensitive urban design, and access to coasts and rivers. Cultural values around bushwalking, beach use, fishing, gardening with native plants, and surfing reinforce environmental commitment in everyday life. About 13 per cent of Australia's land area is in protected areas including national parks, conservation reserves, and Indigenous Protected Areas.