‘Revolutionary’ plan to save koalas under proposed new laws

One of Australia’s most famous icons would be given “unassailable” protections under a tough new law being proposed.

Koalas would be given the highest level of protection of any animal species in Australian history under an “unassailable” new law being proposed.

The Australian Koala Foundation is pushing for a federal “Koala Protection Act” that would place caveats on land clearing and development across all the habitat areas of the much-loved species.

Up to 1.5 million square kilometres of forest, or 20 per cent of the Australian continent, would be protected under the plan hatched by the lobby group.

The foundation has sent its draft Bill to new Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek ahead of her first major speech since being sworn into the portfolio.

The Australian Koala Foundation is pushing for a federal ‘Koala Protection Act’. Picture: Supplied via Kyabram Fauna Park

The Morrison government earlier this year accepted scientific advice to declare koalas were endangered in Queensland, NSW and the ACT after a decline in numbers due to land clearing and bushfires.

The Australian Koala Foundation is concerned that koalas are not similarly marked endangered in South Australia and Victoria.

It has also pointed out that the federal recovery plan for koalas is yet to be enacted a decade after the species was first listed as “vulnerable”.

On its website it describes its proposed koala protection act as “unassailable”.

The foundation’s chair, Deborah Tabart, says the law would prohibit new infrastructure in koala habitat areas unless developers could prove their plans would have a benign impact.

“Over the years we have had people from different sides of politics water (the Bill) down to make it less onerous,” she told NCA NewsWire.

“But unless you stop the trees from coming down how in the heck will you save those koalas?”

Ms Tabart has also suggested the introduction of incentives for landholders who have koala habitat on their properties, saying 80 per cent of the species’ population live on private land.

“It’s just a different way of thinking,” she said.

Ms Tabart said it made economic sense to protect koalas, given forestry was a “dying industry” and tourism a sustainable one.

She estimates the government would save $3bn by protecting koala forests as they are also home to other vulnerable species that require costly recovery plans.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will next week address the National Press Club on the state of the Australian environment. Picture: Else Kennedy

The lobby group’s plea comes ahead of Tanya Plibersek’s July 19 address to the National Press Club in Canberra on the findings of an official five-yearly scientific assessment of Australia’s natural environment.

The report, which the former Coalition government received last year but didn’t release, is expected to be damning.

Ms Plibersek has said she will respond to an official review of Australia’s main environmental law — the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC).

Ms Plibersek is yet to give a time frame on when she will respond to former consumer watchdog chief Graeme Samuel’s review, which was carried out in the previous term of parliament.

Mr Samuel made 38 recommendations after finding the EPBC Act was failing both the environment and developers and contributing to the unsustainable decline of Australia’s habitats.

Ms Plibersek was contacted for comment but redirected the media query to the Environment Department.

A spokeswoman for the department said a national recovery plan was released earlier this year, “setting a clear pathway for investment and action” for koalas in jurisdictions where they are marked endangered.

“The implementation of the recovery plan will also consider the management and population status of koalas across Victoria and South Australia through co-operation and collaboration, national governance and monitoring,” the spokeswoman said.

“Under the EPBC Act, any proposed actions that may have a significant impact on the listed koala must be referred to the Commonwealth for assessment.”