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Australia urgently needs a National Water Pollution Plan with clean water looming as the next crisis as a result of the catastrophic fires across the country, the Greens say.
Greens Spokesperson for Water Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said experts were already warning of the threat to drinking water.
“The unprecedented fires we are seeing across the country are putting Australia’s clean water supply at risk. I’m very worried clean drinking water is the next looming crisis,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“Ash, debris and rotting carcasses are washing into our rivers and waterways causing pollution and contamination to our drinking water.
“Rivers and lakes are starved of oxygen from the pollution, impacting animals and plants that need the oxygen to survive, and leading to catastrophic events like the Menindee fish kill last summer.
“We urgently need a National Water Pollution Plan and the Prime Minister needs to tell us how he plans to keep our water clean.
“We are lucky you can turn on the tap here and drink the water from it, you know your kids are safe brushing their teeth with it – that is all at risk.
“The climate emergency has already pushed many parts of the country into drought and dried up water supplies to some regional towns.
“Our environment and native species are facing an ecological disaster.
“The short and long term impacts from the fires on water cannot be ignored or delayed, or even more communities will suffer.”

With an estimated half a billion native animals killed by the devastating bushfires across Australia, the Greens are calling on the Federal Government to urgently fund a review of the loss of native wildlife and bushfire-specific recovery plans for impacted species.
“The impact the climate fires are having on our precious wildlife is heartbreaking. The scale of the devastation is shocking and is making headlines around the world,” Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“On Kangaroo Island in my home state of South Australia, it’s estimated 25,000 koalas – up to half the Island’s population – has been killed. Grave fears are held for the survival of other endangered species such as the dunnart and rare glossy cockatoo.
“This could be an ecological disaster. An urgent response is required to help those who are injured and suffering and to ensure the best chance of recovery to prevent extinction.
“We are in the midst of an environmental catastrophe. Our wildlife desperately need and deserve action and so do those on the ground working tirelessly to save them.
“The Greens are calling on the Federal Government to urgently fund a review of the loss of native animals and bushfire-specific recovery plans in bushfire-affected areas across the country.
“The Morrison Government must listen to the millions of Australians who care more about clean air, clean water and a safe and liveable environment than they do a political surplus.
“This is a climate emergency. The time for debate is over. We need leadership that delivers the assistance Australians and our wildlife need at this difficult time and a climate policy fit for the crisis we’re in.”
 

The Greens have called on the Prime Minister to establish a ‘Fighting Fund’ for the environment to restore and protect the flora and fauna decimated by the climate fires.
Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“We are facing half a billion animals lost from these fires right across the country and millions of hectares of habitat destroyed impacting survival and recovery of native species that are left.
“We need a fighting fund to restore the environment.
“The PM needs to commit proper funding to protect those animals that have survived and to restore their habitat. People are rightly asking, ‘where is the Environment Minister?’ The hundreds of volunteers fighting to save injured and homeless wildlife need to know what the Australian Government is going to do to help them.
“It is vital for the tourism of the affected regions whether it’s Kangaroo Island, the Adelaide Hills, the South Coast of NSW or East Gippsland and it would be a jobs creator to do it.
“People I spoke to on KI want to invest in rebuilding their Island but it’s not just about bricks and mortar, it’s also about the very thing people come to KI to see – the environment, the habitat of those animals and the pristine wilderness area.
“Once these fires are finally put out and people have started piecing their lives back together, we don’t want the PM’s focus to fall.
“These communities cannot keep bearing the brunt of the climate emergency. Australians want relief and a commitment to rebuild right now, but they also want political leaders to stand up and take action on climate change because we have to adapt, we have to mitigate and we have to be prepared to take those decisions that are going to not make climate change worse.
“The last thing we need is political leaders with their heads buried in the sand. This is the moment we need to use to take the necessary actions and we need to do it now.”

The Federal Environment Minister is missing in action despite reports that more than a billion native animals have been impacted and killed in the catastrophic fires across Australia and millions of hectares of habitat burnt, the Greens say.
Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“We are in the midst of environmental collapse and the Minister responsible is missing in action. The climate fires have caused an ecological disaster. Entire species may have been wiped out.
“As I’ve met with dozens of dedicated wildlife carers and local community members who’ve been so devastated by these fires, I’ve heard countless firsthand accounts of how these fires and the conditions underpinning it are unprecedented. The habitats that have been so crucial to supporting livelihoods and native wildlife have been entirely wiped out. Pristine wilderness areas that attract tourists and therefore jobs to regional areas have been decimated.
“Where is the Environment Minister? I’m calling on her to come out today and stand up for our environment and threatened species. Our wildlife deserves it, the carers rescuing them deserve it and our communities need it.
“The Federal Government must urgently establish a fighting fund for the environment to save, restore and protect what remains. Our communities rightly need funding for homes and infrastructure but the environment that so many humans and animals depend on, cannot be left as an afterthought.
“The time for funding and action is now, or we may just lose some of our precious wildlife and flora for good.”