Albanese trashes Hawke Legacy; Consigns Species to Extinction

A last-minute bill scheduled to be introduced to federal parliament next week by the Albanese government will, if passed, effectively legislate the extinction of the endangered Maugean skate—a species that has survived since the time of the dinosaurs but may not survive this government.

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Reconsiderations) Bill 2025 is believed to be intended to create a sector-specific carve-out that will make the salmon industry in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour exempt from scrutiny under federal nature laws as a way to protect it from an ongoing request for reconsideration by environmental groups. That request, which the Wilderness Society is not involved in, is based on the legal right of the community to request a review of environmental decisions and seeks to have the Environment Minister’s original decision that the project’s expansion was not likely to have a significant impact on environmentally significant matters, including the Maugean skate and the Tasmanian World Heritage Area, reconsidered.

The Bill means the Albanese government could end its first and possibly only term not by delivering promised reforms to strengthen federal nature laws, but by brazenly weakening them. The Wilderness Society says this is a shocking legacy for the Prime Minister, who in 2006 was the first person to ever use the phrase ‘extinction crisis’ in Parliament.

If passed, this bill could lock in species extinction for the Maugean skate, and undermine the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area which is recognised globally for its unique estuarine ecosystems, which include Macquarie Harbour.

This move is in stark contrast to the Hawke era, which established a powerful role for the Commonwealth Government in protecting Australia’s unique and precious natural heritage. Hawke’s quintessential action was the protection of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area in the High Court. Now both the World Heritage Area and the Commonwealth’s critical leadership on the environment are threatened by Prime Minister Albanese’s legislative wrecking ball.

And beyond significant environmental harm, this bill could also spell chaos for industry. Australia’s biodiversity risk as an investment destination will only increase from this move, damaging investor confidence and the nation’s reputation.

The Albanese government will likely seek to pass the bill with the support of the coalition, introducing the risk that the bill could be amended to further weaken the federal nature law.

Sam Szoke-Burke, Biodiversity Policy and Campaign Manager for the Wilderness Society, said, “If passed, this Bill will be remembered as Prime Minister Albanese cementing species loss into law. It would be in stark contrast to Bob Hawke’s legacy of protecting the Franklin, and in doing so, keeping Tasmania’s World Heritage areas, which include a third of Macquarie Harbour, off the in-danger list.

“Tasmania’s coastal waters and marine life are already under immense pressure, and this rushed legislation hands special treatment to vested interests in the salmon industry at the expense of communities, nature, and even business. This bill won’t ensure long-term business viability; only being truly sustainable will. The only certainty created for business by this bill will be damage to the Australian economy’s social licence as being inextricably linked with extinctions.

“This isn’t just about salmon farming—it’s about the Albanese Government attacking the community’s right to seek a review of bad environmental decisions—and through a Bill the government has not made public, which it will try to pass while the nation’s attention is on the federal budget. When governments avoid transparency and put vested interests above nature, they erode trust and invite stronger public outrage. Australians want real environmental protections, not backroom deals and carve-outs for big business.

“Instead of respecting the community’s right to seek a review of decisions, the government is moving to undermine the community by creating a sector-specific carve-out for salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour.

“We know from other sector-specific exemptions that they don’t deliver for nature, the economy, or society. While native forest logging has been subject to a carve-out, the sector has suffered from declining jobs, an overexploited resource, ecosystem collapse, and an ever-increasing list of threatened species. The Wilderness Society will continue to stand with communities demanding accountability and stronger protections for nature."

The Bill also comes in the wake of legal action on threatened species brought by the Wilderness Society against the federal Environment Minister. That case seeks to compel the Minister to make recovery plans for 11 threatened species the Wilderness Society says are outstanding in breach of environmental law. The Maugean Skate is not one of those species.