At a Glance

First Term Wins

Securing the future of the Murrumbidgee River

The Upper Murrumbidgee River is the lifeblood of communities, ecosystems, and farms across the region, and especially in the ACT. For too long, the river has been stretched to breaking point.

In late 2023, I secured $55 million in federal funding to restore the health and resilience of the river. This was a hard-fought win and the result of strong advocacy from the community and a clear vision for how we protect what matters.

This investment is now flowing into:

• Boosting water flow to keep the river alive during dry spells
• Stabilising riverbanks to prevent erosion and repairing the riparian region protect habitat
• Fixing broken governance between governments so the river isn’t caught in political deadlock
  

The investment isn’t just about environmental protection, it’s about delivering cultural value for First Nations and long-term water security for the people who depend on it. A healthier river means stronger communities, more sustainable agriculture, and a future we can be proud of.

I’ll keep pushing for policies that protect our waterways and treat our natural resources like the national treasures they are.

Funding for cutting-edge technology to tackle invasive species

Invasive species are one of the biggest threats to Australia’s environment and agricultural industry. From feral cats decimating native wildlife to mice and rats wreaking havoc on crops, it’s driving species to extinction and costing the economy billions in productivity losses.

That’s why, in late 2024, I secured a $10 million federal investment in gene drive technology. Gene drive is a cutting-edge scientific tool with the potential to transform how we manage invasive animals.

This breakthrough technology could help us:

• Curb exploding populations of destructive species like mice, rats, cane toads and feral cats
• Protect native wildlife that’s on the brink due to predation and competition
• Safeguard agricultural productivity and reduce reliance on poisons and traps
  

As a result of this funding, Australia will be on the front foot in utilising gene drive. This investment will support world-class research and trials to ensure the science is safe, effective, and ready to deliver real results.

I’m proud to champion smart, future-focused solutions that tackle serious problems at the source, rather than looking only at the symptoms.

Holding companies to account on climate risk

Climate change presents a clear and present risk to our economy, our communities, and the companies that operate within them. Investors and the public deserve to know how those risks are being managed.

In mid-2024, I secured a pivotal amendment to force companies to model and disclose the physical risks of climate change. This is about pulling climate accountability out of the PR department and putting it squarely in the boardroom.

This legislation and my amendment means large companies will have to provide significantly more information to the market on climate risks. It’s a big win for climate transparency, smart regulation, and long-term thinking. It makes our economy more resilient and our markets more honest.

I’ll keep fighting to make sure our laws reflect the scale and urgency of the climate crisis and that corporate power is held to account.

Locking In Australia’s first emissions reduction target and adding integrity

Not long after I was elected, I helped deliver a historic climate milestone: Australia’s first legislated national emissions reduction target. But I didn’t just back the target, I fought to make it meaningful.

Through tough negotiations, I secured critical integrity measures to ensure the target isn’t just symbolic, but robust, enforceable, and real.

It’s a major step toward meeting our climate obligations and a clear statement that Australia is finally getting serious about decarbonisation. I’ll keep pushing for stronger action, better policy, and climate laws that match the scale of the crisis. This includes an ambitious 2035 emissions reduction target, detailed below.

More integrity in key climate policies, including the Safeguard Mechanism

Australia can’t meet its climate targets if big polluters are allowed to game the system. That’s why I worked hard to improve the Safeguard Mechanism and ensure carbon credit markets actually drive real emissions reductions, not just greenwashing.

I have called out some really worrying concerns about Australian carbon markets, and in particular a methodology called Human Induced Regeneration (HIR) that has been used to create the majority of Australia’s carbon credits. 

I have also worked hard to highlight the alarming gap between reported and actual methane emissions, especially from the fossil fuel sector. Independent satellite data has shown what government reports often miss and I’m pushing for better monitoring, stricter reporting, and real accountability for methane, one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases.

This is about climate integrity. It’s about making sure our policies live up to their promises and powerful industries don’t get a free pass. I’ll keep fighting to close the loopholes, lift the standards, and make sure Australia’s climate response is grounded in science, not spin.

Protecting the Australian Alps from feral horse damage

One of my first acts as a Senator was to take on a tough issue that too many had avoided: the environmental destruction caused by feral horses in the Australian Alps.

I got support to establish a parliamentary inquiry into the impacts and management of feral horses because national parks exist to protect native species, not as a safe haven for invasive animals that trample delicate ecosystems, pollute waterways, and push threatened species to the brink.

I’ve always approached this issue with care, evidence, and respect. I listened to scientists from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, the Arthur Rylah Institute, ANU, and Deakin University, as well as animal welfare advocates and land managers. The evidence was clear: feral horses do not belong in our national parks.

As a result of the inquiry’s findings, we’ve seen real action. The feral horse population in Kosciuszko National Park has dropped from around 17,000 to 3,000, a major step forward for environmental protection and ecological balance.

The inquiry wasn’t about slogans or stunts, it was about doing the hard, detailed work to fix a serious problem. I’ll always stand up for science, for our environment, and for policies that protect the places we love for future generations.

Suburb-wide electrification accelerator for every state and territory

Energy bills are one of the biggest pressures facing households right now and one of the best solutions also delivers climate action: household electrification.

When I was developing my 2022 election platform, Canberrans made it clear: electrification had to be front and centre. I listened, and then got to work. Working with experts like Saul Griffith and researchers at the ANU, I developed a bold plan for electrification accelerators: suburb-wide initiatives to help households switch to solar, batteries, and efficient electric appliances with government-backed support.

After relentless advocacy and strong support from the community, we got the breakthrough. On 28 January 2025, Minister Chris Bowen announced that electrification accelerators will be rolled out in the ACT and across Australia.

This is a major win for:

• Lower energy bills for families
• Cleaner air and better health outcomes
• Cutting climate pollution at scale
  

Electrification is a permanent cost of living relief. It’s good policy and it’s happening because a community stood up and demanded better. I’ll keep working to make sure every household, in every postcode, gets the chance to plug into the future.

Delivering Zero-Interest Loans to ACT households for clean, cheap energy

In the middle of a national debate on energy price caps, I made sure the outcome wasn’t just about temporary relief, but delivered lasting change for ACT households.

As part of the negotiations, I secured an additional $7.5 million in federal funding for the Sustainable Household Scheme, which is a proven ACT program that helps families take control of their energy costs.

The scheme allows eligible homeowners to:

• Borrow up to $15,000 for solar panels, batteries, and efficient electric appliances
• Pay nothing upfront with zero interest and no fees
• Start saving from day one on power bills
  

This is exactly the kind of policy I fight for: practical, targeted, and transformative. It tackles the cost of living crisis at its root by helping people electrify their homes, cut pollution, and lower bills permanently.

$100 million national Active Travel Fund

Active travel is one of the smartest investments we can make. It improves our health, cuts emissions, and makes our communities more liveable.

That’s why I negotiated with the Government to secure $100 million in federal funding to upgrade and deliver new bicycle and walking paths across Australia.

This funding is now available for projects that make it safer and easier for people to walk and cycle, and I am hopeful that the ACT Government will bid for our fair share.

Better walking and cycling infrastructure means:

• Safer streets for everyone, from commuters to kids
• Healthier communities and more active lifestyles
• Lower transport costs and reduced traffic congestion
• Cleaner air and fewer emissions
  

This is about designing neighbourhoods around people, not just cars. I’ll keep fighting for investments that make it easier, safer, and more appealing to walk, ride, and thrive in our cities and suburbs.

What I’m Fighting For

A Duty of Care on climate change

There must be legal accountability for climate harms inflicted on future generations by government decisions made today.

In mid-2023, I introduced my first Private Senators’ Bill, the Duty of Care Bill. The bill seeks to compel the Federal Government to consider the health and wellbeing of children and future generations before approving new fossil fuel projects. 

It does this by ensuring that decision makers consider the impact of all emissions from a project on intensifying climate change, rather than only those produced in Australia. This principle reflects growing global recognition that governments have a moral and legal obligation to protect people, particularly vulnerable populations, from the worsening impacts of climate change. 

By embedding this duty of care into Australia's decision-making processes, future generations are given a voice in today's environmental and economic choices.

I will continue to fight for this requirement to be legislated. You can read more about the bill and the campaign at www.adutyofcare.com.

Increasing the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT)

Australia is one of the world’s top three gas exporters. In 2023 alone, we exported $70 billion worth of gas, yet Australian taxpayers have received $0 in Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) from offshore LNG exports.

In this term of parliament Labor and the Greens voted for changes to the PRRT  that  were so weak that revenue is actually expected to fall.

Source: Budget Paper 1

Worse still, more than half of our gas is exported without paying any royalties. That’s billions in public resources handed to multinational gas giants with no return to the public. Meanwhile Norway has a sovereign wealth fund valued at around $2.8 trillion Australian dollars. That’s the scale of the benefit Australians are missing out on and that could fund desperately needed priorities in health,education, housing and environment.

This system is broken. I’m calling for urgent reform of the PRRT to ensure Australians receive a fair share from the sale of our natural resources. These resources belong to all of us and when they’re sold off, the public should benefit.

I will continue to push for a stronger PRRT that delivers real revenue and real accountability.

We’ve been short-changed for too long. It’s time to fix it.

Comprehensive environmental law reform

Australia’s national environmental laws are no longer fit for purpose. Experts, businesses and environmental groups all agree: we need urgent reform to protect the places and species we love.

The primary piece of legislation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act is failing. The independent Samuel Review confirmed what many already knew: the Act is outdated, weak, and unable to meet modern conservation challenges.

I’ve been working hard to push for wholesale reform of our national environmental laws. This is about more than minor tweaks, it’s about finally putting the health of nature at the centre of Australia’s development decisions.

Right now, the system is stacked in favour of developers and fossil fuel projects. It’s costing us critical ecosystems, endangered wildlife, and long-term climate resilience.

We need strong national environmental standards, independent oversight, and climate considered in every major project approval. If re-elected I will keep pushing for:

• Overhaul of the EPBC Act
• Establishment of a truly independent National Environmental Protection Agency 
• An end to native forest logging

Australia is a megadiverse country and Australians care deeply about protecting Nature. It’s time our laws reflected that.

Creating an Invasive Species Future Fund

Invasive species are one of the biggest threats to Australia’s environment and economy and we’re not doing enough to stop them. They’ve already driven around 100 Australian species to extinction, and they now cost the economy an estimated $24.5 billion every year in damage to ecosystems, agriculture, and infrastructure.

I’m calling for a $5 billion Invasive Species Future Fund to deliver the sustained, science-backed action we urgently need. The fund would:

• Support large-scale eradication programs
• Invest in innovative solutions like gene drive technology
• Help prevent further extinctions and restore ecosystems
• Boost productivity in farming and land management
  

For too long, invasive species have been managed through short-term grants and fragmented programs. It hasn’t worked and the cost of inaction is growing.

A national, long-term fund would ensure invasive species are tackled at scale, with the coordination and urgency the crisis demands. Protecting Australia’s unique biodiversity means investing in the systems that keep it alive.

An ambitious 2035 Target

Minimum of 75% on the basis of 2005 levels.

Under the Paris Agreement, we’re due to submit our 2035 emissions reduction target this year. I’m pushing for an ambitious but achievable minimum of 75% emissions reduction target by 2035 locked into law.

The science is clear and the Climate Change Authority says a 65–75% cut by 2035 is within reach. The UK has already committed to 81%. Right here at home, Victoria is aiming for 75–80%, and New South Wales 70%.

This is the decisive decade. We can’t afford small steps when the moment demands bold strides.

A strong 2035 target will:

• Align Australia’s policy with climate science and global momentum
• Give business the certainty they need to invest in decarbonisation
• Drive innovation, clean energy jobs, and economic resilience

We need to aim high and plan for more. That’s why I support an aspirational target of net zero by 2035, with a legislated floor of 75%.

This is about courage, clarity, and commitment. The path is there. The time is now.

1% of the budget for biodiversity conservation

Australia is a global hotspot for extinctions. We are the world leader in mammal extinctions. 

And yet, year after year, we spend next to nothing on conservation.

That has to change.

I’m calling on the government to commit at least 1% of the federal budget to protecting and restoring Nature. It’s a small number with massive impact. A line in the sand to stop the destruction and start the repair.

We owe everything to the natural world. Our health, our water, our food, our economy all depend on thriving ecosystems. In fact, more than 50% of Australia’s GDP is directly linked to Nature. And yet we treat it like an afterthought.

This is about recognising that we are part of Nature, and if Nature goes down, we go down with her.

1% for Nature would:

• Fund large-scale habitat restoration and protect critical ecosystems
• Save endangered species and halt further extinctions
• Deliver real management of invasive species while supporting Indigenous land and sea management
• Create jobs in conservation, land care, and ecological science
  

We have to start making decisions like we are here for a long time, and deciding to properly fund Nature is a great start.

For the past couple of years I've been working with environment groups on this policy. You can also check out merchandise to show your support for Nature in my shop.

Prioritising Australian households and businesses ahead of gas exports

Australia is one of the world’s biggest exporters of gas. Gas companies are selling enormous volumes of uncontracted gas overseas and Australians are not getting a fair getting nothing in return. Gas that should be offered first to Australians at a fair price. In 2023, over 850 petajoules of uncontracted gas were exported. That’s more than the entire domestic demand from manufacturing, households, and electricity generation combined.

Rather than opening up new gas fields, we should regulate to ensure that uncontracted gas goes first to satisfying the domestic market before exporting any surplus. This won’t breach existing international contracts and poses no sovereign risk. It simply ensures Australians benefit from our own resources and has broad support

We should also move towards a domestic gas reservation policy using uncontracted gas in the medium- to long-term.

Western Australia already has a 15% gas reservation scheme. It keeps prices low and supports local industries.

The benefits are clear:

• Lower prices for households and manufacturers
• Stronger energy security in a time of crisis
• No need for new gas fields or emissions blowouts
• Time and space for a proper transition off gas
  

Let’s be clear: this policy doesn’t stop electrification. It supports it by making electricity cheaper.

First Nations stewardship and ownership of the Western Edge of Canberra

The Australian Capital Territory is the only jurisdiction in Australia in which the Traditional Owners do not own and manage any land. It’s time to fix this and hand back the incredible Western Edge to be managed by First Nations people.

Watch a short video about a vision for the Western Edge here.

The Western Edge is 9,800 hectares of land to the west of the territory and stretching along the Murrumbidgee River. It is home to endangered box gum woodlands, temperate grasslands, and dozens of endangered  species. The area is rich in cultural importance to First Nations People, and a vital buffer against bushfires from the west.

Canberrans love living in the bush capital. We are a city where nature isn’t something we visit, it’s something we live alongside. But a big part of our incredible bushland is at risk.

The Western Edge is a piece of bushland that cannot be replaced. We can’t offset what’s already nearly gone.

• Less than 1% of temperate grasslands remain in Australia.
• Box gum woodlands are down to just a few percent of their original extent.
• Offsets don’t work when the ecosystems being destroyed can’t be replaced.
  

Yet the ACT Government continues to rely on offsets that fail to deliver real conservation outcomes. According to the 2024 WWF Threatened Species Scorecard, the ACT saw the biggest decline in recovery and protection efforts in the country.

We need a new vision to protect the bush capital and to deliver for First Nations people. One that protects, restores, and respects.

That’s why I’m calling for:

1. Full protection of the Western Edge, including Block 402
   Block 402 (leased to the ANU) is an ecological gem that must be added to the nature reserve. Its high biodiversity value and role as a fire buffer make it too important to sacrifice.
2. A First Nations-led land management and conservation project
   This land has been cared for by First Nations people for tens of thousands of years. It's time governments recognised that. This project would support Indigenous fire management, weed and pest control, and revegetation, while generating cultural, environmental and economic benefits.
3. Transparency and accountability in conservation funding
   We need spending that matches rhetoric not more announcements with no follow-through.

Learn more about a vision for the Western Edge here.

Ending a fossil fuel handout for fossil fuel companies - redesigning the Fuel Tax Credit scheme

The fuel tax credit scheme is costing Australians over $10 billion every year - more than the federal government spends on army capabilities.This money flows largely to polluting industries. Coal companies alone claim an average of $20 million each, according to the Parliamentary Budget Office. The mining sector is the scheme’s biggest beneficiary.

The OECD and the WTO both classify this scheme as a fossil fuel subsidy and yet it remains untouched. It’s time to fix it.

I’m calling for a redesign of the fuel tax credit scheme to end handouts to polluting industries like coal mining. While I support the provision of the fuel tax credit to farmers, it makes no sense to provide a fossil fuel subsidy to fossil fuel companies. Public money should support decarbonisation and innovation and not bankroll coal and gas profits.

Reforming this scheme could:

• Reduce the structural deficit
• Encourage heavy industries to decarbonise
• Be used to increase the speed of transition to renewable energy
  

The public should not be funding pollution. This money could be better used to support clean energy, regional jobs, and emissions reduction.

Powering homes, cutting bills: Delivering a National Electrification Plan

Household electrification should be at the heart of Australia’s energy future. It slashes energy bills, reduces emissions, improves health, and creates jobs.

I’m calling for a nationwide electrification strategy that backs ambition with action, including:

• Electrifying 5 million homes by 2035
• $5 billion in immediate investment, and $50 billion over the next decade
• Financial incentives (targeted based on need) like rebates and low-interest loans to cut upfront costs
  

We must ensure that renters, apartment dwellers, and low-income households are not left behind. That means tailored policies, rental standards, and targeted support so electrification is equally available to all Australians.

This plan also includes:

• Building a skilled workforce and local supply chains
• Reforming energy market rules to prioritise consumers and clean energy
  

Electrifying homes is one of the fastest, fairest ways to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and the climate crisis at once. Let’s get it done and let’s make sure it’s done for everyone.