Image from The Conversation
Originally published in New Matilda 19/10/2018
Updated by Situation Theatre 12/11/2019, 3/12/2019, 10/1/2020, 25/6/2020, and 4/9/2020.
Lest we forget.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott*
Abolishes key ministerial positions of climate change and science – 16 September 2013
Abolishes the Climate Commission – 19 September 2013
Denies there is a link between climate change and more severe bush fires and accuses a senior UN official of “talking through their hat” – 23 October 2013
Abolishes the Antarctic Animal Ethics Committee which ensured research on animals in the Antarctic complies with Australian standards – 8 November 2013
Cuts 600 jobs at the CSIRO – 8 November 2013
Abandons Australia’s emission reduction targets – 12 November, 2013
Downgrades national environment laws by giving approval powers to state premiers – 9 December 2013
Removes the community’s right to challenge decisions where the government has ignored expert advice on threatened species impacts – 9 December 2013
Approves the largest coal port in the world in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area – 10 December 2013
Approves Clive Palmer’s mega coal mine in the Galilee Basin which opponents say will severely damage Great Barrier Reef – 11 December 2013
Overturns the “critically endangered” listing of the Murray Darling Basin – 11 December 2013
Scraps the COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water – 13 December 2013
Starts dismantling Australia’s world leading marine protection system – 13 December 2013
Axes funding for animal welfare – 17 December 2013
Defunds the Environmental Defenders Office which is a network of community legal centres providing free advice on environmental law – 17 December 2013
Scraps the Home Energy Saver Scheme which helps struggling low income households cut their electricity bills – 17 December 2013
Cuts funding to the Energy Efficiency Opportunities Programme which makes it mandatory for large- energy-using-businesses to improve their efficiency –17 December, 2013
Requests the delisting of World Heritage status for Tasmanian forests – 21 December 2013
Breaks his promise to provide a customs vessel to monitor whaling operations in the Southern Ocean – 23 December 2013
Defunds all international environmental programs, the International Labour Organisation and cuts funding to a range of international aid programs run by NGOs such as Save the Children, Oxfam, CARE Australia and Caritas – 18 January 2014
Exempts Western Australia from national environment laws to facilitate shark culling – 21 January 2014
Appoints a climate change skeptic to head a review of our renewable energy target – 17 February 2014
Blames carbon pricing for the closure of Alcoa smelters and rolling mills and the loss of nearly 1000 jobs, despite the fact the company states it had no bearing on their decision – 19 February 2014
Axes funding earmarked to save the Sumatran rhinoceros from extinction – 28 February 2014
Cuts 480 jobs from the Environment Department which help protect places such as Kakadu, Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef – 7 April 2014
Scraps the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) which was set up to support new and emerging renewable technologies and in doing so breaks an election promise – 13 May 2014
Axes industry and community clean energy programs including the Low Emissions Technology Demonstration Fund, the National Low Emission Coal Initiative, Energy Efficiency Programmes, the National Solar Schools Plan, Energy Efficiency Information Grants and Low Carbon Communities – 13 May 2014
Cuts Australia’s Animal Welfare Strategy – 13 May 2014
Rips a further $111.4 million over four years out of the operating budget of the CSIRO – 13 May 2014
Reduces funding to the Australian Institute for Marine Science – 13 May 2014
Breaks a promise to have one million more solar roofs across Australia and at least 25 solar towns – 13 May 2014
Breaks a promise to spend $2.55 billion on the Emissions Reduction Fund by committing less than half this amount in the budget – 13 May 2014
Terminates the Office of Water Science research programme – 13 May, 2014
Slashes the Biodiversity Fund – 13 May, 2014
Scraps the National Water Commission – 13 May, 2014
Axes the carbon tax with no viable policy to address climate change or Australia’s emission targets – 17 July, 2014
Repeals the mining tax on the profits of big coal and iron ore companies – 2 September 2014
Cuts spending on science and innovation to the lowest levels since the data was first published – 07 October, 2014
Describes coal as “good for humanity” while opening a coal mine in Queensland 13 October, 2014
Refuses to contribute to the fund Green Climate Fund, which Abbott described the year before as “socialism masquerading as environmentalism” – 17 November, 2014
Cuts CSIRO funding, which means that CSIRO will lose 1/5 of its workforce – 24 November, 2014
Cuts the Climate Adaptation Outlook Independent Expert Group – 15 December 2014
Cuts the Biological Diversity Advisory Committee – 15 December 2014
Abolishes the Subcommittee on Animal Health Laboratory Standards – 15 December 2014
Abolishes the Antarctic Science Advisory Committee – 15 December 2014
Abolishes the Emissions Intensive–-Trade Exposed Expert Advisory Committee –15 December 2014
Disbands the Commonwealth Environmental Water Stakeholder Reference Panel – 15 December 2014
Abolishes the COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water – 15 December 2014
Abolishes the Bureau of Meteorology Water Accounting Standards Board – 15 December 2014
Abolishes the National Marine Mammal Scientific Committee – 15 December 2014
Disbands the National Marine Mammal Advisory Committee – 15 December 2014
Abolishes the National Landscapes Reference Committee – 15 December 2014
Abolishes the Technical Advisory Committee for the Coal Mining Abatement Technology Support Package – 15 December 2014
Appoints a climate skeptic who praised Rupert Murdoch as the “starting point for green innovation” to the position of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment – 21 December 2014
Cuts $12.5 million from the National Heritage Trust – 12 May 2015
Establishes a Commissioner for Wind Farms – 24 June 2015
Slashes the renewable energy target – 24 June 2015
Intense lobbying keeps Great Barrier Reef off UNESCO’s world heritage in-danger list despite many government decisions which threaten it – 2 July 2015
Directs the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to stop investing in wind power – 12 July 2015
Bans the Clean Energy Finance Corporation from investing in roof top solar panels and other small scale solar energy – 12 July 2015
Reduces Australia’s carbon emissions reduction target – 11 August 2015
Tries to introduce laws to stop citizens exercising their legal rights to stop big developments that damage the environment – 19 August 2015
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull
Approves Carmichael coal mine – 16 October 2015
Environment Minister Greg Hunt claims selling India Australian coal will cut carbon emissions – 10 Dec 2015
Approves Abbot Point Coal Terminal expansion – 22 December 2015
Presides over a drop in Australia’s ranking on the Environmental Performance Index of 10 places – 28 January 2016
Approves logging in Murray Valley National Park – 28 February 2016
Tries to loan Adani $1 billion to build a railway link to the Carmichael mine and promises to “fix” native title problems – 11 April 2017
Describes Labor’s emissions trading scheme as “jobs destroying”, a handbrake on the economy, leading to “much higher energy prices.” – 27 April 2016
Says coal will be important for “many, many decades to come” – 25 October 2016
Seeks changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to stop conservation groups challenging environmental ministerial decisions – October 31, 2016
Says “if anyone had a vested interest in showing you that you could do really smart, clean things with coal, it would be us” – 1 February, 2017
Opens $5 billion infrastructure fund for “clean-coal” power stations – 3 February 2017
Hires Sid Marris, former head of climate and environment at the Minerals Council of Australia, to be his climate and energy adviser – 3 February 2017
Scott Morrison brings a lump of coal to question time and says “This is coal. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be scared.” – 9 February 2017
Ignores advice that renewable energy was not to blame for South Australian blackouts – 13 February 2017
Oversees 3.4% rise in emissions within 12 months and 7.5% increase since the Abbott-Turnbull government scrapped the carbon price – 01 March 2017
Diverts funds from Clean Energy Finance Corporation to fund coal with carbon capture and storage – 31 May 2017
Stops releasing pollution data that used to be announced on a quarterly basis – 7 July 2017
Attacks South Australian renewable energy policy as “ideology and idiocy in equal measure” – 14 August 2017
Lobbies AGL to delay closure of ageing Liddell coal power station for another five years – 5 September 2017
Dumps Clean Energy Target – 17 October 2017
Plans to reduce environmental spending to less than 60% of 2013-2014 budget – 13 December 2017
Data released in the week before Christmas shows highest greenhouse gas emissions on record when land use change emissions excluded – 19 December 2017
This data shows emissions increasing to 2030 and beyond – 19 December 2017
Declares climate policies are a big success – 19 December 2017
Climate policy review loosens the safeguard mechanism that sets limits on pollution – 19 December 2017
Government fails to list a single piece of critical habitat for protection despite 1800 species and ecological communities being identified as threatened in Australia – 6 Match 2018
Backs Pauline Hanson’s motion for new coal-fired power stations – 27 June 2018
Turnbull’s signature emissions reduction policy, the National Energy Guarantee, described as having ‘no benefit’ to emissions – 18 July 2018.
Personally approves $443m fund for Great Barrier Reef Foundation, an organisation with ties to BHP, Shell and Peabody Energy – 31 July 2018.
Removes emissions reduction target from National Energy Guarantee – 20 August 2018
Prime Minister Scott Morrison
Appoints Angus Taylor, long-time campaigner against the Renewable Energy Target and a fierce critic of wind energy, as Minister for Energy – 26 August 2018
Appoints Melissa Price, a former general counsel for Crosslands Resources, which owns the Jack Hills iron ore project in Western Australia, as Minister for the Environment – 26 August 2018
Appoints Matt Canavan, who doubts the importance of climate change mitigation and is a strong advocate of Adani’s Carmichael coal mine but dismisses the battery storage facility, the Hornsdale Power Reserve, as the “Kim Kardashian of the energy world”, as Minister for Resources – 26 August 2018
Angus Taylor indicates more taxpayer money for existing coal and gas – 30 August 2018
Revealed that the Marine Park Authority had to scale back surveys in 2017, a year of massive coral bleaching, due to lack of government funds – 2 September 2018
Angus Taylor says there is too much wind and solar in the electricity grid – 5 September 2018
Tries to water down climate change resolution at Pacific Islands forum – 6 September 2018
Union tells Senate inquiry that 87% of members who work in threatened species management in the environment department and other government agencies thought Australia’s effectiveness in protecting critical habitat was poor or very poor – 7 September 2018
Resources Minister Matt Canavan says Paris agreement “doesn’t actually bind us to anything in particular” and doesn’t stop Australia building new coal plants – 7 September 2018
PM says National Energy Guarantee “is dead” – 8 September 2018
Tony Abbott advocates scrapping of renewable energy subsidies – 11 September 2018
Report shows Australia’s transport emissions rose 3.4% from December 2016-December 2017 – 13 September 2018
Angus Taylor announces Morrison government won’t be replacing the renewable energy target “with anything” beyond 2020 – 18 September 2018
Approves private tourism development with helicopter access in Tasmanian world heritage wilderness – 31 August 2018
Morrison says Australia will meet its Paris emissions targets “at a canter” despite no emissions reductions policies and statements from the Energy Security Board to the contrary – 5 September 2018
Australia receives bottom three ranking for environmental policy among wealthy nations – 18 September 2018
Government tells Great Barrier Reef scientists to focus on projects which make the government look good and encourage more corporate donations – 26 September 2018
Releases data showing March quarter increase in emissions of 1.3% on a Friday afternoon, which was a public holiday in Victoria and the same day as the release of the banking sector royal commission interim report – 28 September 2018
Describes $444m Great Barrier Reef Foundation grant as the “right financial decision” – 1 October 2018.
Data reveals 770,000 hectares (three times the size of the ACT) of forests in the Great Barrier Reef catchment zone have been cleared since Tony Abbott was elected in 2013 – 4 October 2018.
Senate inquiry into threatened species told Australia’s environment laws have been “white-anted with loopholes” and hears of “massive and pervasive non-compliance with legislation” – 8 October 2018
PM rules out providing more money for global climate conferences and “all that sort of nonsense”– 8 October 2018
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack says Australia should “absolutely use and exploit its coal reserves” despite IPCC warnings of climate catastrophe and says Australia wouldn’t change climate policy because of “some sort of report” – 9 October 2018
Matt Canavan responds to the IPCC calls for phasing out coal by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change by saying “many argue that coal markets are in structural decline when nothing could be further from the truth” and “our coal is the envy of the world and we should promote it proudly” – 9 October 2018
Melissa Price responds to the IPCC report by saying “every year there’s new technology with respect to coal and what it contributes to emissions. So I think to say it’s got to be phased out by 2050 is drawing a very long bow” - 9 October 2018
Angus Taylor says the government would “not be distracted from our goal of lowering power prices for Australian households and small business” and “coal will continue to play a vital role in our energy mix, now and into the future” – 10 October 2018
Former Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg responded to the grave IPCC warnings with “If we take coal out of our energy system, the lights will go out on the East Coast of Australia” – 9 October 2018
Chairman of Coalition’s backbench energy committee Craig Kelly says the government needs to axe renewable energy subsidies – 16 October 2018
Melissa Price reported to have told the former president of Kiribati at a dinner in Canberra ““I know why you are here, it’s for the cash. For the Pacific, it’s always about the cash. I have my cheque book here, how much do you want?” then accused of misleading Parliament over it – 17 October 2018
Murray-Darling Basin Authority, reporting to the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, “accused of maladministration, deliberately ignoring the best science on the river, leaning on the CSIRO to alter reports on the adequacy of the basin plan and ignoring the impact of climate change in its future planning” - 30 October 2018
Liberal MP Craig Kelly says fossil fuels make us safe from the “exaggerated” threats of climate change - 9 November 2018
Government strongly criticised by business groups for plans to underwrite coal-fired power - 16 November 2018
PM condemns students striking for climate action, tells them to be “less activist” - 26 November 2018
Resources Minister Matt Canavan says striking school students will end up on the dole - 30 November 2018
Australia’s emissions growing at fastest rate since 2004 - 30 November 2018
Australia named as one of the worst environmental performers on the global stage due to the absence of biodiversity measures in our climate commitments - 30 November 2018
Australian Conservation Foundation takes government to court for failing to undertake a full environmental assessment of the water impacts of Adani - 4 December 2018
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk condemns the Federal Government for blaming Queensland bushfires on tighter land clearing laws - 7 December 2018
Australia’s silence during climate debate at COP24 seen as offer of tacit support to oil allies who blocked progress - US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait - 10 December 2018
Australia is the only nation to join US at pro-coal event at COP24 - 11 December 2018
Signals taxpayer support for new and existing coal projects -13 December 2018
Refuses calls of allies to increase climate commitments at COP24 - 13 December 2018
Australia’s emissions now the highest on record - 13 December 2018
According to the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Federal Government cut environmental spending by 9.7% from 2013-2017 - 17 December 2018
The Government’s own projections show them missing our Paris targets by a “vast margin”, despite Morrison’s repeated insistence that we would meet them “in a canter” - 21 December 2018
Murray Darling Basin Authority, in conjunction with the NSW Liberal Government, found responsible for deaths of up to 1 million fish at Menindee Lakes - 19 January 2019
OECD criticises Australia for being off track on emissions targets, “poor and worsening biodiversity”, and a failing national threatened species strategy - 30 January 2019
During a summer of fish kills, floods, fires, and record temperatures, Environment Minister Melissa Price is missing in action. Three of Australia’s biggest environment groups say they’ve been unable to get a meeting with her since her appointment in August 2018 - 16 February 2019
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority approves dumping of one million tonnes of spoil in the park - 20 February 2019
Australia named the only country in the world to use climate funding to upgrade coal-fired plants - 1 March 2019
Energy Minister Angus Taylor falsely claims emissions are falling - 3 March 2019
PM criticises plans by WA environment watchdog for measures to curb emissions as “unworkable”. Analysts describe them as practical and cost-effective - 8 March 2019
Carbon emissions reach another record high - 14 March 2019
Former Liberal adviser appointed head of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority - 15 March 2019
Despite highest rate of mammal extinction in the world, the Environment Department doesn’t know whether recovery plans are being implemented - 21 March 2019
Environment Minister Melissa Price asked for a review of how climate policy could be used to upgrade existing coal stations after being lobbied by an energy company - 2 April 2019
Great Barrier Reef suffers 89% reduction in new coral after bleaching of 2016 and 2017 - 4 April 2019
Coalition approves Adani groundwater plan after severe internal pressure from Queensland MPs - 9 April 2019
Former fire chiefs warn Australia unprepared for escalating climate threat - 10 April 2019
PM claims Bill Shorten wants to “end the weekend” with his electric car policy, a policy which is only marginally more progressive than that of the Coalition - 16 April 2019
Revealed that the government bought overpriced, unreliable water, without a tender process, from a company domiciled in a tax haven, who counted Energy Minister Angus Taylor among its early directors - 22 April 2019
Exposed that Adani water approvals were given despite knowing risks that the project would breach environmental approvals and draw too much water from ancient springs - 18 April 2019
Coalition criticised for approving uranium mine one day before the election was called and despite native species risk - 26 April 2019
Multinational uranium miner convinced Government to drop requirement showing their mine would not cause species extinctions - 27 April 2019
Coalition climate policy is rated 4/100 by the Australian Conservation Foundation - 29 April 2019
Liberal MP John Alexander says Australia should “help Fijians move to higher ground” rather than limit coal - 3 May 2019
Coalition relies on modelling of the costs of Labor’s climate policy which is shown to be “ridiculous” - 6 May 2019
Tony Abbott makes a $100 bet with a constituent that the climate will not change in 10 years - 7 May 2019
Greenpeace releases a report and documentary called Dirty Power. They show Big Coal’s network of influence over the Coalition Government - 8 May 2019
PM responds to UN report on the capitalist threat to one million species facing extinction by criticising the expansion of environmental regulations he derides as “green tape” - 9 May 2019
Despite the seriousness of the UN report, the Environment Minister is still missing - 11 May 2019
A group of Torres Strait Islanders lodge a complaint with the UN human rights committee against the Australian government for climate inaction - 13 May 2019
PM claims the coalition “saved” the Great Barrier Reef. This claim is dismissed as “ridiculous” by scientists, environmental groups, and the Queensland Government - 13 May 2019
Emails reveal the CSIRO was pressured to approve the Adani groundwater plan within a single afternoon - 14 May 2019
Analysis finds the Coalition’s climate policy has allowed heavy industry emissions to increase by close to one third - 16 May 2019
‘Disgrace’: Angus Taylor under pressure after failing to release emissions data - 3 June 2019
Australia won’t reach Paris target without action on transport, LNG, and coal, expert says - 2 July 2019
Deputy PM accused of disputing evidence of global heating - 19 July 2019
Coalition’s emissions reduction fund labelled a ‘joke’ after first post-election auction - 2 August 2019
Australia’s Kyoto loophole eight times larger than entire Pacific emissions - 14 August 2019
Australia removes climate ‘crisis’ from Pacific islands draft declaration - 15 August 2019
:Pacific islands will survive climate crisis because they ‘pick our fruit’, Australia’s deputy PM says - 16 August 2019
Australia is third largest exporter of fossil fuels behind Russia and Saudi Arabia - 19 August 2019
‘Bunch of bedwetters’: Matt Canavan attacks Aurecon for cutting ties with Adani - 22 August 2019
Australia’s carbon emissions rise again, largely thanks to LNG industry - 30 August 2019
Australian natural disasters minister David Littleproud: “I don’t know if climate change is manmade” - 10 September 2019
Scott Morrison won’t attend UN climate summit despite being in the US - 12 September 2019
Australian PM says China must step up on climate change as ‘newly developed’ nation - 24 September 2019
Scott Morrison ducks questions on Australia’s emissions strategy for 2050 - 24 September 2019
Australian government seen globally as climate ‘denialist’, UN summit observers say - 25 September 2019
Morrison responds to Greta Thunberg by warning children against ‘needless’ climate anxiety - 25 September 2019
Josh Frydenberg refuses request for RBA deputy to speak on climate change - 10 October 2019
Josh Frydenberg rejects IMF report that Australia will fail to meet Paris target - 11 October 2019
Scott Morrison points finger at UN for pursuing ‘negative globalism’ - 14 October 2019
Australia is the only country using carryover climate credits, officials admit - 22 October 2019
Australia hopes to expand coal exports in south-east Asia ‘delusional, expert says - 23 October 2019
Scott Morrison threatens crackdown on protesters who would ‘deny liberty’ - 1 November 2019
Australia’s climate response among the worst int he G20, report finds - 11 November 2019
NSW Bushfires: Scott Morrison criticised for “Thoughts and Prayers” - 11 November 2019
Greens policies increasing bushfire threat, Joyce says - 11 November 2019
“Win for lobbyists”: number of sponsored passes for Parilament doubles in seven years - 12 November 2019
Coalition inaction on climate change and health is risking Australian lives, global report finds - 14 November 2019
Former Australian fire chiefs say Coalition ignored their advice because of climate change politics - 14 November 2019
ACT warns Angus Taylor against division and deal-making at key Coag energy meeting - 19 November 2019
Scott Morrison signals environmental overhaul and ‘fresh look’ at industrial relations - 20 November 2019
Scott Morrison says no evidence links Australia’s carbon emissions to bushfires - 21 November 2019
Former fire chiefs meet with ministers, but not PM, on climate concerns - 3 December 2019
Coalition claims it will meet 2030 emissions target - but only by using accounting loophole - 7 December 2019
About 100 countries at UN climate talks challenge Australia’s use of carryover credits - 9 December 2019
Scott Morrison rejects calls for more bushfire help, saying volunteer firefighters “want to be there” - 10 December 2019
Australia ranked worst of 57 countries on climate change policy - 11 December 2019
Morrison finally responds to Sydney smoke crisis by announcing religious discrimination bill - 10 December 2019
Australia’s use of accounting loophole to meet Paris loophole found to have no legal basis - 12 December 2019
Morrison responds to fears over bushfires but rejects censure of climate policy - 12 December 2019
UN climate talks: Australia accused of “cheating” and thwarting global deal - 16 December 2019
Mystery sounds Scott Morrison as his takes a holiday - 16 December 2019
“Hugely disappointed” emergency chiefs to hold summit with or without PM - 17 December 2019
“Not moving fast enough”: former head of Scott Morrison’s department criticises climate change policies - 19 December 2019
McCormack concedes Australia must do more to fight climate crisis - but links fires to “self-combusting manure” - 21 December 2019
Scott Morrison says Hawaii holiday was like taking “that extra plumbing contract on a Friday afternoon - 23 December 2019
Morrison government to underwrite two new gas power stations, refuses to rule out new coal-fired generation - 23 December 2019
Home affairs warned Australian government of growing climate disaster risk after May election - 24 December 2019
PM Scott Morrison defends climate policies and asks Australians to be “patient” over fires - 2 January 2020
Scott Morrison brushes off angry bushfire reception, saying he doesn’t take it personally - 3 January 2020
“He turned his back on me”: Cobargo woman forced to shake PM’s hand lost everything in fires - 3 January 2020
Scott Morrison says video ad on ADF deployment is not political but “carries his message to Australians” - 5 January 2020
RFS commissioner not told of Scott Morrison’s call-up of ADF reserve - 5 January 2020
Climate change and bushfires: Craig Kelly doubles down on denial - 7 January 2020
Australia records worst December fire conditions after its hottest, driest year - 9 January 2020
Scott Morrison is thankful that no one died in a fire in which two people died - 9 January 2020
Scott Morrison rejects criticism of climate policies as MPs call for more action - 10 January 2020
Disinformation and lies are spreading faster than Australia’s bushfires - 12 January 2020
A billion animals - some of the species most at risk from Australia’s bushfire crisis - 14 January 2020
Climate crisis likely to increase violent deaths of young people - report - 14 January 2020
Melbourne’s air quality ‘worst in the world’ as bushfires continue to burn across Victoria - 14 January 2020
There’s no link: the climate doubters within Scott Morrison’s government - 16 January 2020
Coaliton’s axing of funding to climate change adaptation body condemned - 16 January 2020
Hundreds of thousands of fish dead as bushfire ash washed into river - 18 January 2020
Scott Morrison says Matt Kean “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” on climate - 20 January 2020
More than 100 threatened species hit hard by Australian bushfires, pushing many towards extinction - 20 January 2020
UK climate scientist corrects Australian MP Craig Kelly’s ‘blatant misrepresentation’ - 22 January 2020
Bushfire crisis: more than half of all Australians found to have been directly affected - 23 January 2020
Australia already ‘carrying its load’ on emissions and must adapt to warmer climate, PM says - 29 January 2020
Scott Morrison strikes $2bn deal with NSW to boost gas supply - 31 January 2020
Narrabri farmers feel ‘sold out’ by federal-NSW energy deal that boosts gas supply - 31 Janauary 2020
Matt Canavan announces nuclear waste dump location in South Australia - 1 February 2020
Big polluters again allowed to lift emissions without penalty - 8 February 2020
‘Overwhelming and terrifying’: the rise of climate anxiety - 10 February 2020
Counting the cost of Australia’s summer of dread - 11 February 2020
Scott Morrison leaves open indemnification of new coal-fired power station - 11 February 2020
A 60% rise in industrial emissions points to failure of Coalition’s ‘safeguard mechanism’ - 12 February 2020
‘Triple whammy’: drought, fires and floods push Australian rivers into crisis - 12 February 2020
Coalition likely to give $11m to Vales Point coal-fired power station for upgrade - 14 February 2020
Australian government granted BHP repeated approval to increase carbon emissions - 17 February 2020
Government to take ‘technology over taxation’ approach to climate change - 18 February 2020
Australia’s carbon emissions fall just 0.3% as industrial pollution surges - 24 February 2020
‘Unprecedented globally’: more than 20% of Australia’s forests burnt in bushfires - 25 February 2020
Dutton says ‘left-wing lunatics’ must be dealt with as Asio warns of far-right threat - 25 February 2020
Government to spend million buying water from company it already paid $80m - 26 February 2020
Angus Taylor to announce shift in climate investment away from wind and solar - 28 February 2020
Climate campaigners condemn ‘insidious’ cocktail party for MPs and coal industry - 4 March 2020
Morrison government to stop funding international collaboration on shift to zero emissions - 6 March 2020
Great Barrier Reef suffers third mass coral bleaching event in five years - 25 March 2020
Snow hydro will cost more and deliver less than promised, 30 experts say - 28 March 2020
‘Probably the worst year in a century’: Australia’s envirommental toll of 2019 - 30 March 2020
Great Barrier Reef’s third mass bleaching event in five years - 7 April 2020
Summer’s bushfires released more carbon dioxide than Australia does in a year - 21 April 2020
Coalition is aiming to change Australia’s environment laws before review is finished - 23 April 2020
Zali Steggall calls for investigation of Coalition plan to underwrite gas, hydro and coal power - 27 April 2020
‘Cashed-up activists’ should not be able to hold up developments, Australia’s resources minister says - 30 April 2020
Greens warn Clean Energy Finance Corporation is a ‘Trojan horse for coal and gas’ - 8 May 2020
Australian government stops listing major threats to species under environmental laws - 8 May 2020
Murray-Darling systems not assessed for endangered listing after officials warned Coalition would not support it - 13 May 2020
Coalition reveals new emissions reduction measures, including paying polluters to stay under cap - 19 May 2020
Angus Taylor says it is not Australian government policy to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 - 19 May 2020
Fossil Fuel industry applauds Coalition climate measures that support carbon capture and storage - 20 May 2020
New nuclear technologies to be examined in planning Australia’s energy mix - 21 May 2020
Leaked Covid-19 commission report calls for Australian taxpayers to underwrite gas industry expansion -21 May 2020
Covid commission boss Nev Power steps back at gas company amid conflict of interest concerns - 23 May 2020
Company part-owned by Angus Taylor seeks ministerial review on illegal grassland clearing - 23 May 2020
Australia’s muddled energy policy and the roadmap to nowhere - May 24 2020
Australia's ‘failing’ environmental laws will fuel further environmental crises, Novel laureate warns - 25 May 2020
More than a third of NSW rainforests have been hit by Australian bushfires - 7 June 2020
Unesco urged to declare Great Barrier Reef “in danger” - 11 June 2020
Scientists fear Coalition’s push to deregulate environmental approvals will lead to extinction crisis - 16 June 2020
Up to 11,000 jobs could be lost under Morrison government policies - 25 June 2020
Million hectares of threatened species’ habitat cleared without assessments - 25 June 2020
Morrison government has failed in its duty to protect the environment, auditor-general finds - 25 June 2020
Australia’s agriculture minister says Roundup is safe after $16bn US cancer lawsuit - 25 June 2020
Morrison government urged to fix flawed environmental offsets leaving threatened species at risk - 27 June 2020
Australia’s register of threatened species critical habitat not updated in 15 years - 4 July 2020
‘A mockery: Great Barrier Reef Foundation raises just $21m of $357m target - 11 July 2020
Coalition backs ‘cloud-brightening’ trial on Great Barrier Reef to tackle global heating - 15 July 2020
Audit criticises Murray-Darling water purchases made without open tender - 16 July 2020
Frustration grows over delayed release of review into Australia’s environmental laws - 17 July 2020
Australia’s environment in unsustainable state of decline, major review finds - 20 July 2020
Conservationists criticise Coalition plan to rush through new environment laws - 22 July 2020
NSW minister urges Morrison government not to ‘smash through’ conservation law changes - 25 July 2020
Australia’s Covid commission downplays ‘green recovery’ and confirms gas push - 11 August 2020
Developer lobbied Frydenberg to de-list area of wetland for Queensland’s Toondah Harbour complex - 12 August 2020
‘No purpose’ to Coalition’s climate policy after big polluters increase emissions by 1.6m tonnes - 13 August 2020
Australia asks UN to dismiss Torres Strait Islanders’ claim climate change affects their human rights - 14 August 2020
Electric vehicle sales triple in Australia despite lack of government support - 19 August 2020
Large-scale renewable energy investment in Australia falls to lowest levels since 2017 - 19 August 2020
Australia’s chief scientist rejects experts’ letter warning him not to back gas - 26 August 2020
Government finalises $3.6m Collinsville coal power plant grant despite disallowance motion - 26 August 2020
Coalition condemned for failing to deliver promised environmental standards - 27 August 2020
‘Orwellian’: Coalition accused of planning to open green bank to fossil fuel investments - 28 August 2020
Climate crisis: business, farming and environment leaders unite to warn Australia ‘woefully unprepared’ - 28 August 2020
‘Taking an eraser to Australia’s wildlife: ad blitz planned to fight environment law - 29 August 2020
Gas companies say they are working with Covid commission and say they expect federal support soon - 30 August 2020
Australia’s big polluters required to offset just 1.2% of greenhouse gas emissions - 31 August 2020
Australian government gags debate to ram environmental law changes through lower house - 3 September 2020
Images from Hartley Rural Fire Brigade and The New Daily
*To be continued for at least the next two years, unless we stop them.
** Full credit to Sally McManus for this section thanks to her work on Tracking Abbott’s Wreckage, as well as The Guardian for their excellent coverage of environmental issues, from which most of these links come.