Biodiversity Bill - Second Reading Speech
Tuesday 3 June 2025
S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (12:27): I rise to speak in support of the Biodiversity Bill. With the introduction of South Australia's first ever Biodiversity Bill, we are taking this necessary move to protect what makes this state so extraordinary: our nature. We are doing this because the stakes could not be higher. We are living through a global biodiversity crisis.
The World Wildlife Fund's 2024 Living Planet Report shows a devastating 73 per cent decline in global populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and amphibians since 1970, and the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2025 ranks biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse as the second highest long-term threat to our planet, second only to extreme weather.
Here in Australia, the crisis is even more acute. We have the highest mammal extinction rate in the world, and in South Australia alone we have lost an estimated 73 native species since European settlement. But this is not an environmental issue alone. It is an economic risk. Over 80 per cent of our exports and more than a third of South Australia's jobs depend on nature, from agriculture and food production to tourism and wine. If we do not act, not only do we risk our environment but we risk falling behind. Our major trading partners are setting ambitious biodiversity standards. Investment and trade are increasingly tied to sustainability. Failing to act means falling behind in the global green economy. That is why we need this bill and why it matters to everyone.
This bill does not just patch up the old system, it consolidates and strengthens it. It brings together key parts of the Native Vegetation Act and the National Parks and Wildlife Act creating a single, modern framework that finally gives biodiversity the attention it deserves. It includes significant improvements, including:
a general duty to protect biodiversity so all South Australians play a role, not just government;
stronger native vegetation laws with clearer protections;
tougher penalties: up to $500,000 for businesses that cause serious harm;
a new process to identify and protect critical habitat—the places that threatened species cannot survive without, and;
a scientific, transparent process for listing threatened species and ecological communities, aligning us with national standards and backed by expert advice.
But this is not just about laws, it is about having a plan. The bill establishes a state biodiversity plan: a strategic road map that will guide us over the long term. It will set the vision for biodiversity restoration, define indicators to measure our progress, guide conservation investments so we are spending where it matters most, use advanced tools like spatial mapping to direct efforts regionally, align with national and international biodiversity goals and give clarity to developers, planners and landowners by setting clear priorities for development and restoration.
The bill also introduces biodiversity policies—practical guides to help individuals, businesses and communities understand how to meet their responsibilities. These policies will be developed with the community through consultation, ensuring transparency and shared ownership. Importantly, this bill also acknowledges and respects the leadership of Aboriginal South Australians whose care for country spans tens of thousands of years. It recognises their unique role in conserving and sustainably managing the land, and commits to embedding that wisdom in our shared path forward.
So what does this mean for South Australians? If you are living along the coast, this bill gives us stronger tools to protect our homes, ecosystems and livelihoods from the impacts of climate change; if you are watching our cities grow faster than our green spaces, it means smarter, science-based planning that keeps nature in our suburbs and backyards; if you are on the land facing drought and water stress, it means restoring healthy ecosystems that strengthen your farm's future; and if you are young South Australian demanding action on the climate and nature crises, it means real systemic change backed by law, science and vision—because biodiversity is not a luxury, it is the foundation of everything we depend on.
This bill is about creating a South Australia where people and nature thrive together, where our economy grows sustainably, where our cities remain liveable, where our coastal and regional communities are resilient and where future generations inherit not just clean air and water but a rich, living, diverse, natural world. I commend this bill to the house.
