Background:

To date, Australia remains one of the most deforested countries and the only developed country on the global list of deforestation hotspots, despite claiming to have robust environmental laws. Forest environments are increasingly at risk because of more frequent extreme weather and anthropogenic events. Native forest logging is the primary threat to more than 40 endangered species and is contributing to the decline of at least 60 more, yet recovery plans to prevent further species extinction remain outdated and inadequate. 

Victoria and Western Australia have applied their native forest logging cessation policies in 2024, setting a national precedent, though the process hasn’t been perfect. A major ABC investigation in June 2026 uncovered native forest logs had been transported from Tasmania to Victoria, essentially just shifting demand to another state instead of eliminating it. In September 2025, NSW set the proposed 476,000-hectare boundary for the Great Koala National Park and halted native forest logging within it, with formal gazettal slated for 2026. However, Tasmania remains the primary holdout: it accounts for 40% of all native forest log volume in Australia, more than Queensland, WA and NSW combined. But from mid-2027, Tasmania’s logging industry will for the first time in decades come under federal environmental laws, ending their logging exemption.

In a significant development, the Australian Government's Environment Protection Reform Bills were passed by Parliament on 28 November 2025, receiving Royal Assent on 1 December 2025.  A longstanding exemption that had shielded native forest logging from federal environment law has now been removed from the EPBC Act. Native forest logging will, for the first time, be subject to national environmental standards. However, this progress must be kept in perspective. A National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) is established in law and came into effect on 1 July 2026, leaving a window in which logging operations may continue without meaningful federal oversight. Passing a law and enforcing it are not the same thing and until enforcement mechanisms are tested, the legislative change remains a necessary but insufficient step.

The consequences of poorly managed transitions are already playing out in Victoria as the state is now being tested in court due to their decision to end native forest logging. Opal, the Japanese-owned operator of the Maryvale Mill in the La Trobe Valley and the last white paper mill in Australia has launched a $402 million lawsuit against the Victorian government in the Supreme Court. The claim alleges the state breached a 1996 wood pulp supply agreement that was not due to expire until 2030, after VicForests was unable to fulfil its contractual obligations following the logging ban. Opal terminated its supply agreement in May 2023 following the state government’s announcement. The closure of white pulp and paper production at Maryvale resulted in the loss of over 400 jobs. Opal says it sought to reach a negotiated outcome with the Victorian government for three years without success before resorting to legal action. 

This case does not undermine the case for ending native forest logging, it proves the importance of doing so with proper planning, transition support for affected workers and industries and clear legal frameworks. Poorly managed transitions create sovereign risk, well-managed ones do not. There is a need for federal and state governments to act proactively, rather than waiting for court-imposed change. 

Meanwhile, In the EU, deforestation regulations have been in force since 29 June 2023. Since the EU is a significant trading partner for Australia, the regulations will directly impact Australian exports, particularly agricultural and timber products. Australia also committed at COP28 to end deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. If the government wants Australian exporters to remain competitive in European markets and to honour its international commitments, it must act decisively to align domestic practices with these standards. 

Historically, Australia’s environmental laws lacked legally binding standards but landmark reforms now allow the Environment Minister to create National Environmental Standards.

Why is this important?

• Federal oversight of logging and related environmental damage lacks effective regulation
• Recovery plans to prevent further species extinction are outdated and inadequate
• Native forest logging has become less profitable due to declining timber yields, environmental regulations, and market demand for certified plantation timber
• Ending native forest logging helps states meet carbon emissions reduction targets by preserving forests as carbon sinks
• Logging is the primary threat to more than 40 endangered species, and it is contributing to the decline of at least 60 more

Who to Contact:

• Your local State and Federal MPs (check on this website if you’re unsure who that is)
• Key Federal Ministers: Environment Minister, Murray Watt, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: Treasurer Jim Chalmers; Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen
• Federal Crossbenchers, including David Pocock (ACT independent), Fatima Payman (WA independent), and Jacqui Lambie (JLN) who hold the balance of power in the Senate
• State Environment Ministers (noting the example letter below is Federally oriented, so needs significant modification)

Further Reading:

Some articles of interest are here, here, here, and here. 

Resources:

• Email example below and general email template here to write your own from scratch
• Guidelines and tips for writing emails

1. Email your MP 

If you need some help getting started with your email, here is an example. 

Please don’t copy it exactly - personalise it and tailor it to the MP you are writing to. 

When writing to a Minister or Shadow Minister, state you’re writing to them in their role as Minister for xxxx, otherwise they will probably just forward your email to your local MP.

[MP name]

[Member for …. or  Minister for ….]

Dear…..

(personal first sentence - who you are and why you care)

I am writing because I am alarmed at accelerating climate change, and the most recent State of the Environment report which indicates significant species extinctions and logging of Australia's native forests is continuing at a frightening pace. In November 2025, Parliament passed reforms removing the exemption that had shielded native forest logging from federal environment law, and a new National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) began operating in July 2026. These are welcome steps, but they remain largely untested. The recent Four Corners investigation revealed Tasmanian native forest logs are still being trucked to Victorian sawmills, undermining Victoria's own logging ban. Legislation on paper means little without real enforcement.

With increasing extreme weather events, protection of native forests is ever more crucial. The 2019/2020 fires burned more than 12 million hectares across Australia and killed more than a billion native animals. Unfortunately, we have to prepare for more habitat destruction due to climate disaster, and therefore must do everything we can to protect the homes of our wildlife.

Native forests (and particularly old growth trees) are also a major source of carbon storage and the logging industry is a significant carbon emitter. It is crucial that our remaining forests are protected, and this must occur now.

Will you commit to:

• Ensuring the removal of native forest logging's exemption from federal environment law is fully enforced, with no new loopholes, including in Tasmania, where a bilateral agreement is still being negotiated and logging won't be covered by national standards until mid-2027
• Urgent implementation of new recovery plans for species listed under the EPBC Act
• Urgent action to bring forward the cessation of native forest logging
• Properly resourcing and empowering the National EPA to enforce compliance, including closing loopholes that let banned native timber be processed interstate? (federal MPs only)

I look forward to your response

Sincerely

Name

Address

Phone

[required if you want a response]

Hi, my name is ….. and I’m a voter in [your electorate].

I’d like to speak to …..[name of MP]

(Staffer will probably say: I’m sorry they’re not available, can I take a message?)

Yes, thank you! Would you please pass on my message and tell them I’m worried about….

[use 2-3 points from the briefing or email example]

And ask them to ….

[use 2-3 points from the briefing or email example]

Thank you!

Australia is already experiencing climate change

Australia’s climate has warmed by an average of 1.51 ± 0.23 °C since national records began in 1910 - meaning we are already feeling the impacts of climate change around the country. CSIRO’s biennial State of the Climate shows that extreme heat events are becoming more frequent, rainfall patterns are changing, fire weather is becoming more severe, snow cover is shrinking, oceans are warming and acidifying, and sea levels are rising. Australian communities are already feeling the impacts of this: the chances strain electricity and water systems, damage homes and roads, reduce crop yields, and disrupt essential services, making daily life more difficult and costly. Indigenous, older, and low-income populations are often hardest hit.