Before the election, Anthony Albanese promised to fix Australia's broken nature laws.  

But instead of strengthening protections for nature, Labor's draft laws actually take us backwards. Backwards on protecting environments, backwards on integrity, and backwards on community rights and interests. 

That's why we're saying no to Labor’s nature law betrayal.

We're calling for the parliament to reject the Federal Labor’s environmental law reforms.

Make a submission

The Inquiry needs to hear from Territorians that we want them to strengthen, not wind back, our federal nature laws.

Check out our handy submission guide and tell the Senate to hold the line and say no to Labor's nature law betrayal.

Submissions close 5 December 2025, but to ensure yours has an impact, lodge it by Tuesday 18 November (the date of the first public hearing).

We need more oversight, not weaker laws 

The Territory's iconic nature is under direct threat, and only the Albanese Government can save it. Australia’s broken federal nature laws are set for major reform following years of inaction.  

We have a critical window to tell the Albanese Government – and Malarndirri McCarthy, Luke Gosling and Marion Scrymgour – that reforms to Australia’s national environment laws must deliver protection for the NT’s incredible nature.  

The Territory deserves strong federal laws that protect our nature, not destroy it. 

We need laws that: 

• Establish strong environmental standards and rules to protect nature, including rules for a quick “no” to stop projects that will do irreversible harm 

• Ensure deforestation loopholes are closed and that deforestation is referred and assessed 

• Include a climate trigger to consider climate risks – with full disclosure of direct and downstream emissions 

• Strengthen federal approval powers rather than devolve decision-making to states and territories, particularly jurisdictions like the NT where so much damage occurs out of sight and out of mind. 

• Ensure all threatened species have recovery plans in place and in force 

• Deliver a new, well-resourced, national Environment Protection Authority. 

We don’t need laws that fast-track environmental destruction for dirty industries like fracking or cotton, or hand decision-making to the reckless Northern Territory Government. 

The Northern Territory – an environmental disaster zone 

The NT has some of the weakest environmental protections in the country. We are the only jurisdiction in Australia without native vegetation laws or a conservation strategy, and our water laws don’t protect great rivers like the Roper or Daly, which are at risk from large-scale water extraction and fracking. 

The Albanese Government claims that development approval processes take too long, and we should hand more powers to state and territory governments. 

But the Territory needs extra protection through strong federal laws, not more power handed to the Finocchiaro Government, which can’t be trusted to protect our environment. 

Since coming into power, the CLP has unleashed unprecedented deforestation – and are on track to approve the destruction of almost 46,000 hectares of native vegetation by the end of the year.

They’ve renewed the license for a tank that’s been leaking enormous amounts of methane for 20 years, and declared the Mataranka Water Allocation Plan, which could dry up our world-famous springs and devastate communities that rely on the Roper River.   

They’ve also handed unprecedented powers to the Chief Minister and Territory Coordinator to fast-track developments that could cause irreversible harm to our environment.   

We need your help to send a message to tell the Albanese Government that reforms to Australia’s national environment laws must deliver protection for the NT’s incredible nature. 

Send this email and demand that Labor protect the best bloody nature in Australia.  

Territorians have achieved two significant victories in their fight against large-scale land clearing, with the proponents of the Ord 3 development seeking a federal environmental review of their controversial cotton growing plans at Sprit Hills Station in the Territory’s West, and, following community pressure, the owners of Claravale Station halting their deforestation plans.