Australia’s leading environmental organizations have shifted their focus from criticizing the Coalition’s plan for nuclear power to criticizing Anthony Albanese, the Labour leader and current Prime Minister, for his support of legislation aimed at protecting the salmon industry in Tasmania. This legislation is seen as a threat to the endangered Maugean skate, a species considered endangered since 2004.
Environmental groups, including the Australian Conservation Foundation and Greenpeace, discussed this change in strategy at an emergency meeting. They criticized the government’s plan to rush through legislation that could weaken national environmental laws, following Prime Minister Albanese’s decision to put on hold the creation of a national Environment Protection Agency.
The organizations have launched advertising campaigns accusing Albanese of “signing the death warrant” for the Maugean skate. Despite generally favoring a Labour government over a Coalition government led by Peter Dutton, environmental groups are using these campaigns as an opportunity to pressure Albanese into changing his stance on environmental policy.
Greenpeace’s chief executive, David Ritter, stated that lobbying efforts to change the government’s approach have failed, leading to a more vocal public campaign against the proposed changes to the EPBC Act (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act). He emphasized that this issue is currently taking precedence over campaigning against gas and nuclear policies.
The proposed legislation would prevent reconsideration requests by third parties in certain cases, changing the process for evaluating the environmental impact of salmon farming in the Macquarie Harbour. The government argues that this change is necessary to prevent job losses and ensure faster decision-making, but environmental groups see it as a threat to the conservation efforts for the Maugean skate and other endangered species.
The scientific consensus is that salmon farming has significantly impacted the oxygen levels in the harbor, endangering the skate species. While there was hope that the population might recover to 2014 levels, continuous monitoring is required to ensure the species’ survival and to address the challenges it faces due to human activities, including fishing and farming practices.
Environmental groups now have an “open-ended” suspension of their anti-nuclear advertising campaigns and are reassessing their resources. The focus has shifted to pressuring Albanese to reconsider the legislation and prioritize stronger environmental laws and an independent watchdog to enforce them.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/24/apoplectic-environment-groups-halt-coalition-attack-ads-to-take-aim-at-albanese-over-species-death-warrant
