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38 unloved trees and Tanya Plibersek’s poisoned chalice

38 unloved trees and Tanya Plibersek’s poisoned chalice

Required by Anthony Albanese to approve gas and coal projects, the environment minister has a plan to protect her reputation.

They’re dying, they’re a weed, and only 38 of the original 44 still stand. The few tourists who walk by rarely show them any attention. Even birds aren’t interested.

Since at least 2016, the National Library of Australia and other parts of the federal bureaucracy have debated what to do about four rows of lonely and unloved Lombardy poplars that stand on the building’s Canberra forecourt.

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Aaron Patrick
Aaron PatrickSenior correspondentAaron Patrick was a senior correspondent at The Australian Financial Review.

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Original URL: https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/38-unloved-trees-and-tanya-plibersek-s-political-poison-chalice-20230316-p5cso2