Australia's government has extended the exemption for native forest logging, despite a catastrophic decline in biodiversity. This decision undermines efforts to protect threatened species and ecosystems.

Australia's parliament is considering reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act), yet the government has extended the exemption for native forest logging. This decision comes amid widespread acknowledgment of the catastrophic decline in biodiversity across the country. The EPBC Act was initially a significant reform, granting the federal environment minister authority over actions affecting matters of national environmental significance, including threatened species and heritage sites. However, enforcement has been lax, with many actions breaching the act without consequences. Critics argue that the reform process fails to address key issues, such as the need for stricter regulations on land-clearing and the removal of logging exemptions. Proposed key performance indicators include reducing remnant vegetation clearing to near zero and implementing a carbon price for large greenhouse gas-emitting projects. Without substantial changes, the reforms are unlikely to reverse the ongoing decline in Australia's biodiversity.