The NSW Government has just released the final details of the new tree clearing legislation. These details are called ‘Regulations and Codes’. There is now a 6-week consultation period during which time the Government is seeking your views.

This is the very first important environment decision our new Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton will have to make.

Please join us in calling on our new Premier and Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton to make sure that koala habitat and all threatened ecosystems are off limits to tree clearing. 

You can call Minister Upton’s office on (02) 8574 6107 and leave a message for her staff to pass on to her.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian's office number is (02) 8574 5000. 

There is some information on this page to help you.

How to make a call to our decision makers?

Calling our decision makers can seem daunting, but it’s important to remember that our elected representatives are there to act on our behalf. There are people just like you calling our Premier and Minister Upton all across NSW, so you’re not alone, and together you’ll make a significant impact on our new Environment Minister.

Here are some key points to help you make a call to our decision makers:

• Minister Upton’s office number is (02) 8574 6107. Her staff member will answer and let them know that you would like to leave a message for the Minister. The staff will be very polite and are used to taking calls from people just like you.

• Let them know that you’re a NSW resident and calling because you are concerned with the Government’s plan to increase tree clearing across NSW.

• Ask that your concern be expressed to Minister Upton and that she listens to your opinion and makes sure that the final tree clearing laws provide much stronger protection for wildlife and ecosystems.

• Be clear that you want the Minister to intervene and make sure that all threatened ecosystems are off limits to tree clearing, and that a loophole which will allow the clearing of koala habitat is closed immediately.

• Ask that Minister Upton gets back to you to make sure that she has fully heard your concerns and that she will implement the concerns raised.

• You may like to talk about why you are concerned about the new laws – have you witness the loss of wildlife or trees in your community and don’t want any more losses? Are you worried that future generations wont be able to experience NSW wildlife like you have? Have you worked on a farm and seen the impact of unchecked tree clearing?

What has the Government released today and what are our key concerns?

The draft ‘regulations and codes’ that the Government has released will spell disaster for our wildlife. They will mean that:

• Endangered ecosystems, core koala habitat, important grasslands and wildlife corridors can be bulldozed with little or no oversight from Government or ecologists.

• Developers will be able to clear important habitat as long as they protect some other land, or pay money in to a fund. Money can’t compensate for the destruction of nature.

• Soil erosion and salinity will go unchecked as the new laws don’t adequately consider the impact that tree clearing has on the health of soils and farmland.

• Tree clearing fuels climate change by releasing carbon pollution into our atmosphere. Carbon pollution will increase under these new laws as more trees are bulldozed.  

During the 6-week public consultation period we have a real opportunity to get a better outcome for nature. Please join us and call our decision makers today.

Why are strong tree clearing laws important?

-       FOR OUR WILDLIFE - Habitat loss from tree clearing is a key reason many plants and animals are being pushed to the brink of extinction in NSW. Strong laws which protect important wildlife habitat and ecosystems are vital.

-       FOR THREATENED SPECIES - One hundred species of plants and animals have already become extinct in NSW, and another 1000 are on the extinction waiting list, including 60 per cent of all our native mammals. An increase in tree clearing will make this worse.

-       FOR OUR CLIMATE - Trees absorb massive amounts of C02 and store it as wood. When they are cut down, they stop performing that vital capture-and-storage function. Clearing also releases huge volumes of carbon pollution when dead trees rot or are burned.

-       FOR SUSTAINABLE FARMING - Tree clearing is an unsustainable farming practice that threatens our water and soils and undermines the long-term productivity of our land. This practice has turned whole regions of NSW into treeless prairielands full of feral animals and weeds, degraded by overgrazing, erosion, and salinity. This will only get worse under the new laws. 

What more can I do?

- Lodge a submission - we are currently scouring the details and will provide you with a submission guide as soon as possible. For now you can lodge a submission on the Government's website here. 

- Write to Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton to express your concerns about the new legislation. Minister Upton's postal address is:

The Hon. Gabrielle Upton MP
GPO Box 5341
SYDNEY NSW 2001