In 2020, an independent review determined that Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act was ineffective (1). Since taking office in 2022, the current administration has worked on revising the act (2) but has also continued to approve fossil fuel extraction projects (3). In November 2025, the government passed the Environment Protection Reform Bill, which aims to deliver stronger environmental protection and faster project approvals (4). However, gaps in the bill make it unlikely to improve outcomes for biodiversity. There is no requirement for decision-makers to consider the effect of estimated greenhouse gas emissions of proposed projects on climate change or biodiversity, nor does the bill require disclosure of indirect emissions, such as fossil fuel burning overseas (4). To meet its climate and biodiversity goals, Australia must implement regulations that limit approvals for projects that will produce substantial emissions.

The continuing approvals of fossil fuel projects contradict Australia’s environmental obligations (5). National and international biodiversity targets include a commitment to prevent extinctions (6), yet each project contributes to warming temperatures (7), and warming temperatures drive extinctions (8). In July 2025, the International Court of Justice declared that nations have an obligation to prevent climate change and that the production and consumption of fossil fuels may violate international law (9).

Robust evidence shows that fossils fuels lead to biodiversity harm (10). In Australia, half of coral cover has been lost from the Great Barrier Reef (11), and the Bramble Cay melomys (Melomys rubicola) is likely the first documented mammalian extinction event attributable to anthropogenic climate change (12). Australia’s government should swiftly amend the Environment Protection Reform Bill to explicitly consider the full suite of emissions resulting from fossil fuel projects, recognize the subsequent effect on biodiversity, and make approvals for new projects contingent on evidence that they will be implemented sustainably.