The Hon Sussan Ley, the Minister for the Environment, announced the Morrison Government’s new five-year Action Plan to underpin the Threatened Species Strategy on 12 February 2022.

The Threatened Species Strategy 2021-2031 sets the Government’s forward plan for action to protect and recover Australia’s threatened plants, animals and ecological communities. The Threatened Species Strategy Action Plan 2021-2026 underpins the 10 year strategy.

Australian Rural & Regional News will seek clarification from the Minister on a number of points as follows:

The action plan states that it was “developed with input from the community, land managers, scientists, conservation groups, Indigenous land and sea managers and other stakeholders”. There is a single reference to “farmer” in the strategy document and none in the action plan.

• Were farmers and other landowners (as distinct from land managers) consulted? If so, to what extent?

• Why have both the 10 year strategy and the 5 year action plan apparently overlooked farmers and the use of land for agriculture and also foresters and the use of land for forestry?

• Do the strategy and action plan apply to agricultural land owned by farmers and land used for forestry?

Target 6 of the action plan is to “increase the area managed for conservation by 50 million hectares by 2026”.

• To put it in perspective, this amount of land is approximately double the size of Victoria. Where will this land come from?

• Will this be agricultural land converted to national parks?

• How does the Morrison Government assess and balance the value of land used for agricultural purposes and land managed solely for conservation?

The action plan states that “Increasing Indigenous-led land and sea management will make a significant contribution to restoring habitat and achieving healthy ecosystems and continue Traditional Owners’ custodianship of land and sea country”.

• Why is the role of all farmers and current landowners in restoring habitat and achieving healthy ecosystems not recognised or supported (eg tree planting, wildlife corridors, managing invasive species (animal and plant), land remediation, erosion control)?

The action plan focus on a limited number of invasive species – foxes, feral cats, gamba grass and myrtle rust.

• Why is there no support for the control of the many other invasive species that impact on habitat and wildlife (eg feral deer, pigs, rabbits, fireweed, Paterson’s curse etc) including by farmers and other landowners?