If you wanted an obvious example of a conflict of interest to feed your outrage, look no further than dual lobbyist and regulator NT EPA Chair Paul Vogel. As chair of the EPA, he’s the protector of NT’s environment, as a lobbyist he’s protecting the interests of the owners of the Darwin Liquified Natural Gas Plant which has been leaking methane for some 20 years. He is on the record as saying fixing the leak is subject to a commercial decision by Santos.
From: Maelor Himbury <M.Himbury@acfonline.org.au>
Date: 12 September 2025 at 9:09:30 am GMT+10
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Sep 12
Date: 12 September 2025 at 9:09:30 am GMT+10
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Daily Links Sep 12
Post of the Day
Emissions from the 180 biggest carbon polluters directly contributed half of the total increase in heatwave intensity between the late 1800s and this century, a new study found.
On This Day
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
The incoming head of the next Pacific leader talks has urged Turkey to “clear the way” for the region to host the next United Nations climate talks.
Pamela McElwee joined a group of 85 climate scientists who refuted DOE’s faulty science last week. Trump’s climate denialism, she believes, is designed to sow confusion—and inaction.
John Menadue
Countries of the South Pacific have good reason to encourage China and other countries to assist them with infrastructure. And there is nothing that Australia should, or could, do about it.
National
A growing cross-factional group within Labor is privately urging for Australia’s next major climate target to respect the advice of the Climate Change Authority, which will hand its opinion on a 2035 target to government any day.
Secretary-General of the OECD and former Coalition finance minister Mathias Cormann suggests Australians keep an open mind to nuclear power, saying there isn’t “anything inherently partisan” about the energy source.
The Ford F150 Lightning is being touted as the first viable EV for farm work, but it comes with a hefty price tag.
Anthony Albanese faces pressure to deliver an ambitious 2035 climate target with its former forecasting agency weighing in with its own verdict on Labor’s expected goal.
Industry is cautiously moving ahead with a new soft plastic recycling system in the wake of the REDcycle disaster. How will it work, and can we really have a circular soft plastic system in Australia?
Australian editorial
As Labor prepares to announce next week its emissions reduction target for 2035, it has apparently learned its lesson about being too specific on what is achievable on climate change action.
Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian
Australia’s energy story is at a turning point. Demand for electricity is rising rapidly as homes, industries, and transport systems electrify. The nation is also under pressure to cut emissions from its energy sector and elsewhere.
Victoria
Wildlife Victoria and Hume City Council are among those calling for mandatory wildlife crash reporting in Victoria, after two women die trying to help an injured animal.
Duplicating Melbourne’s least-frequent rail line would make a big difference to many people at a modest cost, a new report shows.
New South Wales
NSW Opposition leader Mark Speakman has backed an end to controversial laws protecting brumbies in the state’s Snowy Mountains.
NSW Premier Chris Minns says the government “has to deliver” the Great Koala National Park despite Labor MPs voting against a motion to ensure its creation.
More attention needs to be given to rapidly evolving issue of contamination of waterways with ‘forever chemicals’, committee’s chair says
After weeks of mounting pressure, the government has quietly moved to abandon the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers’ contentious hunting bill.
A parliamentary inquiry established after our reporting urges regular water and blood tests where elevated levels of the toxic chemicals have been found.
Business cases for extensions to rail lines that connect to the new international airport are due to be completed early next year.
Harriette Richards et al
The New South Wales government recently announced the launch of the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy, 2025–28. The strategy, developed in partnership with the Australian Fashion Council, TAFE NSW, University of Technology Sydney and the Powerhouse Museum, promises to “accelerate NSW’s position as a global leader in high-quality, innovative and inclusive fashion”.
ACT
The ACT’s superb fairy-wren population has declined by 60 per cent since counting began in the 1980s, but this last winter the figures were even worse, new research has revealed.
Queensland
Electoral Commission of Queensland data has revealed about 340,000 eligible Queenslanders failed to cast a vote at last year’s state election.
Swedish-made electric hydrofoil taxis that glide above water at 55km/h could revolutionise Brisbane’s river transport in time for the 2032 Olympics.
Brisbane’s cyclists and walkers are under attack as swooping birds start to protect their nests. Here’s the worst spots for bird swoops this year.
Newest wind farm to join Queensland grid offers voluntary payments to near neighbours totalling around $9 million over the life of the facility.
Australian perovskite cell company and QUT researchers discover they can nearly double perovskite cell efficiency by using lower cost graphene.
South Australia
A “bubble curtain” is set for activation as part of South Australia’s fight against the ongoing algal bloom, as the state government defends its handling of health advice.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas meets with the sovereign on an official visit to the United Kingdom, during which he also signs an agreement with nuclear reactor manufacturer Rolls-Royce regarding the AUKUS submarine agreement.
A South Australian mother of a teenager with asthma says it was “irresponsible” of health authorities not to communicate updated advice more widely, amid the state’s harmful algal bloom.
Sardine and tuna growers are telling a federal inquiry unclear algal bloom information and “relentless” media coverage are impacting South Australian seafood producers despite their catch being safe to eat.
Time is running out to secure Adelaide’s bid for the global climate conference as the Lord Mayor prepares to jet off to spruik the city’s bid – and the PM does his “utmost” to win.
Tasmania
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service has added 33 new light vehicles to its fleet, as the Tasmania Fire Service warns of a “very real threat of bushfire” this season.
Ruth Forrest
Over the next week Tasmanian Times will publish four opinion pieces by Ruth Forrest who examines the Tasmanian government’s decision to back the Marinus Link project. The articles scrutinise the project’s governance, financial assumptions, and potential impacts on Tasmanian consumers, questioning whether the proposed benefits outweigh the significant risks involved.
Northern Territory
The man in charge of the Northern Territory government’s handling of a major methane leak at a Santos gas plant was working with a lobbyist for the project’s co-owner.
The Northern Territory’s mud crab industry will temporarily shut down after a fisheries assessment found stock numbers had fallen below a “trigger point”.
SunCable has shifted its focus to supplying renewable energy to Australian data centres through its Australia-Asia Power Link solar and battery initiative, which the company said was in response to the growing demand for renewable solutions for energy-intensive data centres and will occur before exporting the power overseas.
Western Australia
A long-awaited overhaul to WA’s public transport system, allowing users to pay with their phones and bank cards, is slated to rollout across the entire network by the end of the year.
The traditional owners of Juukan Gorge have celebrated 10 years of native title determination and shared plans to safeguard heritage sites.
Environment Minister Murray Watt will reveal the conditions for gas giant Woodside’s 40-year expansion as early as Friday.
Sustainability
Demand for an independent source of electricity, big tech’s thirst for green, reliable power and novel financial models are driving industry optimism.
A new report on the impact of lithium mining in South America’s lithium triangle finds the rush to extract lithium in Chile’s Salar de Atacama has had a severe impact on the area’s water supplies.
Pesticides—including 10 banned in the EU due to health concerns—were detected in every cloud sample above France.
Those who hoped to curtail plastic production—and the health risks associated with the stuff—were disappointed. Oil lobbyists, less so.
From fermented fungi to gene-edited pesticides, Michael Grunwald explores innovative solutions to boost food production while protecting the planet in his latest book.
Mitch Anderson
Premier Danielle Smith and U.S. President Donald Trump are weaponizing the powers of the state against wind and solar energy generation.
Nature Conservation
DNA analysis of endemic specimens in museums finds 79% of ant populations in Pacific archipelago are shrinking
Keeping predator numbers down may be last hope for the ground-nesting birds – but critics say real problem is farming practices
Whether to kill one species to save another has split biologists, anglers and Indigenous communities in the Miramichi
Some days it can feel as if climate catastrophe is inevitable. But history is full of cases – such as the banning of whaling and CFCs – that show humanity can come together to avert disaster
Grown using the Miyawaki method, fast-growing miniature forests in the middle of cities can bring surprisingly big benefits for people and the environment.
Simon Donald Stewart
The 19th-century American naturalist Henry David Thoreau described the small freshwater lake at Walden as “Earth’s eye” – a measure of the complexity of ecological interactions.
Maelor Himbury | Library Volunteer
Australian Conservation Foundation | www.acf.org.au
1800 223 669
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