AGP Executive Report

Gas Protest: Greenpeace activists’ occupation of Woodside’s Scarborough platform off Western Australia has paused pre-commissioning work. The group says the proposed Browse project threatens Scott Reef and pygmy blue whales; Woodside disputes the risk. Wildlife: Deadly H5N1 bird flu has been detected on Macquarie Island, putting elephant seals at risk, while mass flying-fox deaths are raising alarm about pressures on forest ecosystems. Extreme Weather: Heavy spring rain is soaking eastern Australia despite El Niño’s usual association with dry conditions. New research found 94% of NSW homes destroyed in the 2019–20 fires were within 100 metres of flammable vegetation, underscoring the risks facing communities. Clean Energy: Australia’s large-scale solar projects reached a record 3.5 gigawatts in annual investment decisions, and Acciona has been selected for transmission infrastructure to support a major Gippsland wind project. Household Energy: Victoria’s energy-savings scheme faces scrutiny after alleged fraud left consumers with lost deposits and void warranties on discounted upgrades.

Offshore Gas: Greenpeace activists occupied Woodside’s Scarborough floating gas platform, protesting the project’s potential impact on Scott Reef. Resources Minister Madeleine King condemned the action as dangerous to workers. Clean Energy: Australian solar investment decisions reached a record 3.5 gigawatts in 2026, while Victoria approved a wind farm billed as the Southern Hemisphere’s largest. Weather: Heavy rain and storms are soaking eastern Australia, with El Niño forecasts pointing to exceptionally wet conditions. Wildlife: H5N1 bird flu has been detected on Macquarie Island, threatening elephant seals; meanwhile, mass deaths of flying foxes are raising alarms for forest ecosystems. Pollution and Waste: 3M is challenging the Commonwealth’s $1.4 billion PFAS lawsuit, and a national tyre inquiry has called for a recycling overhaul. Pacific Climate: Pacific nations are pressing for climate funding ahead of COP31, as divisions over fossil fuels loom.

Wildlife emergency: Grey-headed flying foxes are starving across parts of NSW and Victoria after poor flowering left them short of nectar. Rescuers report a surge in calls, with experts warning the losses could ripple through forest ecosystems. Severe weather: Persistent storms and heavy rain have brought flooding and damaging winds, while forecasters say 2026 could become Australia’s wettest El Niño year on record. Southern Ocean: Conservation groups are urging governments to break a decade-long deadlock on marine protection at the CCAMLR meeting in Hobart, which begins October 19. Renewables: Victoria has approved a proposed 1.5-gigawatt wind farm, set to be the Southern Hemisphere’s largest, while Australian solar investment decisions have also reached a record 3.5GW this year. Mining and climate: A study warns climate change could drive more toxic mining waste into coastal waters, as communities raise lead-pollution concerns over a proposed NSW mine. Australia has also approved a major coal mine extension despite its climate commitments.

Climate Risks: New research warns climate change could push more toxic mine waste into coastal waters, while El Niño may bring a “perfect storm” of weather threats to the Great Barrier Reef. Bushfire Smoke: Queensland bushfire-affected hours have tripled in recent years, with smoke sharply raising fine-particle pollution and ozone in urban areas. Clean Energy: Australian solar investment decisions hit a record 3.5GW in 2026, and Victoria approved a 1.5GW wind farm; a separate Gippsland transmission project is set to support 2GW of wind power. Pollution and Waste: The federal government’s A$2 billion PFAS lawsuit against 3M over contamination at 28 military bases is headed for a legal fight, while an inquiry has called for an overhaul of recycling. Nature Protection: Landmark land acquisitions will protect a large area of Cape York and Gulf country. Climate Policy: Pacific leaders are pressing Australia to turn COP31 commitments into practical action, as warnings grow that coal and gas expansions can sidestep stricter climate laws.

Tyre Waste: A parliamentary inquiry found more than 100,000 tonnes of used off-road tyres are buried at Australian mine sites each year, with hundreds of thousands more stockpiled. It recommends recovery targets and considers a mandatory recycling scheme. Renewables: Victoria has approved the 1.5GW Warracknabeal wind farm, described as the Southern Hemisphere’s largest, adding a major project to the state’s clean-energy pipeline. Climate Accountability: A High Court case examining emissions from exported coal has renewed debate over whether assessments should count pollution released overseas. Separately, the resources minister faces calls to correct a claim that Beetaloo gas emissions will all be offset. El Niño and Fire Risk: A very strong El Niño is raising concern about ecosystem impacts, as Australia prepares for a high-risk bushfire season. Wildlife Health: Bird flu has been detected in birds and seals on Macquarie Island, while biologists have begun vaccinating shy albatrosses in Tasmania.

Clean Energy: Australia’s renewables push gained momentum: ARENA opened a $250 million Solar Sunshot round, Acciona won a $455 million contract for WA’s Clean Energy Link, and Victoria approved a major wind farm. The government also says renewable investment has reached a record high. Climate Risks: A potentially powerful El Niño is looming, while research warns delayed net zero could mean more extreme El Niño events for centuries. Experts are also calling for a national bushfire database. Fossil-Fuel Tensions: Australia approved a major coal mine extension despite climate commitments, as the Climate Council warned that mine expansions can sidestep stricter laws.

Pesticide Safety: David Pocock is seeking a public hearing into Australia’s decision to keep paraquat on the market, despite links between exposure and Parkinson’s disease and bans in more than 70 countries. Climate Policy: Calls to scrap emissions-reporting rules are growing as more than 50 health leaders warn Australia cannot protect people from climate change without tackling fossil fuels. COP31: Pacific leaders are pressing for climate finance and action, while Australia’s coal decisions draw scrutiny ahead of the summit. Mining and Heritage: A court has overturned an Aboriginal heritage order that stalled a billion-dollar gold project, renewing questions about how development and cultural protection are balanced. Wildlife: Bogong moths have returned in huge numbers, and experts say they play an important role in native ecosystems; meanwhile, turtle numbers are falling at a western-suburbs nesting site.

Gas and Climate Policy: Labor has introduced its national gas reservation scheme, but narrowed the minister’s powers after industry lobbying. The Climate Council warns coal and gas projects can dodge tougher climate laws by expanding existing mines, while the Coalition plans to roll back business climate-reporting rules. Extreme Weather: Forecasters give El Niño an 83% chance of becoming the strongest on record since 1950, raising risks of drought, heat and flooding. Sydney’s intense rain triggered flood rescues, with storms forecast for south-east Queensland. Nature Under Pressure: Arum lilies are smothering native undergrowth in WA’s Boranup Forest, and conservationists want stronger action on public land. On K’gari, traditional owners say vehicle wash-downs could help stop invasive species spreading. Clean Energy: Australia has signed a global rooftop-solar pledge, while ARENA committed $32 million to scale up Australian-made solar installation robots. COP31: Pacific leaders are demanding climate finance and practical action as Australia prepares to lead negotiations at the November summit.

Rooftop Solar: Australia signed a global pledge to expand rooftop solar and widened its subsidy to cover systems up to 1 megawatt, opening support to larger installations. Extreme Weather: A severe storm in Alice Springs damaged buildings and left thousands without power; a QUT study also warns bushfire smoke is increasingly affecting air quality in a Queensland city. Biosecurity: Invasive fire ants were detected at a freight facility in western Sydney, raising concern about their spread. Waste: Perth councils are redirecting rubbish from thousands of homes to the Kwinana waste-to-energy plant as the Tamala Park tip nears capacity. Climate Policy: The Coalition is moving to roll back a major business climate-reporting rule, while Australia has approved a major coal-mine extension despite its climate commitments.

Climate and Bushfire Risk: A new Queensland study links worsening bushfire smoke to poorer city air quality, while warnings of extreme fire conditions sharpen ahead of summer. Research also traces Australia’s bushfire risk to colonial land-use changes, alongside calls for Indigenous fire practices. Fossil Fuel Decisions: Australia approved a major coal mine extension despite its climate commitments. A High Court ruling has also put Scope 3 emissions back in consideration for resource projects, as environmental scrutiny of a proposed Kimberley gas project continues. Pacific Climate Action: Pacific leaders are pressing for climate finance and real action ahead of COP31, with Australia and Türkiye setting an agenda for the summit. Australian scientists are also tracking a decade of Pacific Ocean changes that could affect marine ecosystems and fisheries. Energy Transition: Rooftop solar is reaching new highs, and construction is under way on two large battery projects. But proposed deep cuts to Australia’s climate change officials raise questions about the government’s capacity to deliver on climate policy.

Fossil Fuels and the Courts: Australia has approved a major coal-mine extension despite its climate commitments, while a High Court ruling puts projects’ Scope 3 emissions back in focus. A fresh delay to the Middle Arm gas project has renewed calls to cancel it. Heat and Fire: September was the world’s second-warmest on record. Australia faces growing El Niño concerns and severe fire-weather warnings, while new research links colonial land-use change to bushfire risk. Clean Energy: Rooftop solar has reached new highs, and large battery projects are moving ahead in Queensland and NSW. Australia has also backed a global push to double rooftop solar installations by 2030. COP31 and the Pacific: As Australia and Türkiye shape the summit agenda, Pacific leaders are pressing for faster climate finance and action beyond pledges. Extreme Weather: A storm with 96km/h gusts damaged Alice Springs and left about 9,000 properties without power.

Fire Risk: Extreme fire danger is forecast across greater Sydney as hot, dry, windy conditions raise bushfire risk. Authorities warn of heightened fire danger in several states this season; new AusAlert emergency messages and disaster roaming are being added to the preparedness toolkit. Fossil Fuels: Western Australia’s EPA will review Buru Energy’s proposed Rafael gas project in the Kimberley. In NSW, regulators approved a coal mine extension that could keep Hunter Valley Operations running for nearly two more decades. That decision contrasts with a landmark High Court ruling against a separate coal expansion over climate impacts that had not been properly considered. COP31 and Climate Finance: Australia and Türkiye have set out a climate action agenda for COP31, while the summit’s president says wealthy nations must spend far more on climate action. Pacific leaders are also pressing for easier access to climate finance.

Climate in the courts: Australia’s High Court has blocked a NSW coal mine expansion over its climate impact, sharpening scrutiny of emissions from exported coal as governments elsewhere retreat from climate action. Fire and land care: New research links southeastern Australia’s bushfire risk not to climate alone, but to colonial land-use changes that ended cultural burning and allowed fuel to build up. Extreme weather: Queensland faces severe weather, with storms forecast across central and eastern Australia. Pacific and COP31: Pacific leaders are pressing for climate finance and stronger action ahead of the summit co-hosted by Australia and Türkiye. Nature under pressure: Drying wetlands are raising genetic risks for southern Australia’s brolgas, while conservationists are pushing a plan to tackle foxes threatening native wildlife. Energy transition: Australia has backed a global goal to expand rooftop solar, even as the Coalition moves to scrap net zero.

Wildlife: Drying wetlands are deepening genetic isolation in south-eastern Australia’s vulnerable brolgas, leaving the small Victorian population less able to withstand future threats. A proposed national fox-control plan could also help native species, with foxes killing millions of animals each year. Heat and Energy: Planners face growing pressure to reduce heat risks as cities warm. Meanwhile, rooftop solar keeps surging: about four million Australian homes and businesses now have panels, with 2026 on track for a record. In Victoria, a proposed 200MW battery project near Darnum is open for public submissions. Climate and Law: Pacific leaders are urging Australia to turn COP31 commitments into action on climate finance and the 1.5°C limit. A landmark High Court ruling against a NSW coal-mine expansion has sharpened scrutiny of climate pollution from exported coal and may reshape future project approvals.

Bushfire history: New research links part of southeastern Australia’s wildfire crisis to colonial disruption of Indigenous land management, alongside today’s hotter, drier conditions. Rooftop solar: Australia has become the first country to back a global plan to double residential rooftop solar by 2030, including easier access to batteries and finance. Coal and climate law: After the High Court blocked a Hunter Valley mine expansion over climate impacts, the Coalition proposed shielding resource projects from challenges based on emissions from exported coal and gas. COP31: Pacific leaders are pressing for climate finance and action, while Australia’s role faces scrutiny over continued fossil-fuel exports. Gas expansion: Chevron is seeking approval for pipelaying work from 2027 for Gorgon’s next development phase, a roughly A$3 billion project to supply its gas plants.

Data-centre emissions: Tasmania’s EPA says it was not told that Firmus wanted to run 276 diesel generators to support its proposed data centre’s power supply. The regulator is seeking to join the company’s appeal against limits on generator use. Food safety: Independent tests commissioned by Pesticide Action Australia found 12 of 78 supermarket fruit and vegetable samples had banned pesticide residues or levels above legal limits; one strawberry sample reportedly reached nearly 10 times the limit. Climate law: A landmark High Court ruling against a NSW coal mine expansion puts fossil-fuel projects under sharper scrutiny over their climate impacts. COP31: Pacific leaders are pressing Australia and other wealthy nations to turn climate pledges into action, with finance and the 1.5°C goal central to pre-summit talks. Extreme weather: Australia has had its second-hottest September on record, as officials warn of a hazardous summer and rising cyclone risk. Renewable transition: A former wind farm near Esperance is being restored with native plants, while some turbines are being reused for clean-energy training.**