More than 200 cars deregistered over EV road user tax
The Victorian government has cancelled registrations for more than 200 vehicles as part of its low-emission vehicle road user charge being fought in court.
environmental issue
Pledge for national plan to splash out on ocean health
The federal environment minister has promised to develop Australia's first overarching plan to protect ocean health in the face of mounting pressures.
Scientists urge focus on new tech to capture emissions
Scientists say Australia must pour effort into scaling up new technologies that can suck emissions out of the atmosphere, while it also works to cut them.
Drivers asked to go without a car in Uber experiment
Fifty Australian drivers will be paid to go without their own car for a month in a social experiment designed to accelerate transport trends.
Low-profile electric vehicle chargers tested in Sydney
The first of 30,000 electric vehicle chargers mounted on power poles has launched in Sydney as part of a plan to help apartment dwellers power up their cars.
Exotic invaders could be rebadged as neo-natives
Australian botanists face a sticky question as invasive species become more entrenched and adapt to the point where they could be considered "new natives".
Long wait for insurance compounds disaster trauma
A new report into the mental health burden of disasters across Australia shows adequate insurance coverage is central to recovery.
Australia risks losing race for carbon competitiveness
Some want emissions safeguards expanded to cover more industrial plants as a step towards an economy-wide carbon limit and price, but others warn of job losses.
REDcycle’s parent company to be wound up
The company behind Australia's failed REDcycle recycling scheme will be wound up after it left stockpiles of soft plastics across the country.
Trust on the line in battle over plastic stockpiles
Coles and Woolworths have offered to deal with mountains of soft plastic stockpiled by a failed recycling scheme amid a push to have it wound up.
Car pollution kills 11,000 Aussies, hospitalises more
More than 11,000 Australians are dying prematurely each year from vehicle pollution, according to a new study that calls for more cuts to car emissions.
When Aussies can expert EV prices to finally drop
A record number of electric cars are hitting Australia's second-hand market, forcing down prices. But experts say more drops are needed to increase adoption.
Landlocked moulting penguins just need a little space
Penguins are about to strip off at beaches across southern Australia, ramping up the pint-sized seabird's exposure to predators, including domestic dogs.
Australia a ‘powder keg’ for grassfires after big wet
Every time Australia has had prolonged periods of wet weather, deadly fires have followed. Experts say the death of this La Nina will likely end the same way.
We found 29 threatened species are back from the brink in Australia. Here’s how
Australia’s natural world is in deep trouble. Many of our species are getting rarer. Some are now perilously close to extinction, while entire ecosystems face collapse.
War on urchins aims to save kelp forests
Plagues of sea urchins will be harvested and turned into fertiliser under a plan to regenerate kelp forests and boost farming and fisheries at the same time.
Billion-dollar rail deal to take trucks off the road
A major transport company has signed an 11-year deal to put more shipments on Australian railways, cutting trucks and carbon emissions.
Queensland reveals plans to power electric car trend
More Australian petrol stations will be turned into electric vehicle recharging hubs as Ampol ramps up its local rollout and EV numbers double.
Electric vehicle tax hearing recharges political row
A battle between state and federal governments over how electric vehicle owners will be charged for using roads continues inside and outside the courtroom.
Silent ‘life and death’ risk lurking in electric cars
Electric cars are too quiet to be safe, according to lobby groups and researchers, who say urgent policy changes are needed in Australia to protect pedestrians.
Flower-driven ‘madness’ behind rare orchid black market
The theft of 900 threatened orchids from a conservation park is evidence of a lust among collectors that's pushing some species further towards the brink.
Space the buzz word as farmers and investors talk tech
Scientists, farmers, inventors and business leaders are coming together to discuss ways to improve efficiency and profits in agriculture and food production.
Torres Strait flooding fears as sea-level peak imminent
Traditional owners in the Torres Strait say rising sea levels continue to damage their islands, with fears an imminent tidal peak could inundate communities.
Petrol car ban will force Aussie drivers to go electric
Australians drivers may not be able to buy a new petrol or diesel car in 2035 after restrictions on their sale was approved in Europe.
Rise in plastic trash reflects worrying consumer trend
An annual report that details what clean-up volunteers are finding in the environment is further proof that Australia's plastics crisis is worsening.
Queensland study shows snakes can be good listeners
Australian researchers have shown a lack of external ears is no barrier when it comes to the hearing abilities of snakes.
Legal fight to save tropical savanna in Top End
An environmental conservation body is taken legal action against the Northern Territory government over its plans to clear tropical savanna to plant cotton.
Heavy-duty trucks go electric for Queensland trial
Electric trucks capable of carrying huge payloads will be driven on Queensland roads for three months in the latest zero-emission transport trial.
Crucial court battle to set road tax for electric cars
How much electric vehicle drivers will pay to use Australian roads, and who will charge them, could be determined during an upcoming high-profile court case.
Mess still unfolding after plastic recycling scandal
The catastrophic failure of Australia's soft plastics recycling scheme shocked customers. Months on, the mess is unfolding as a fight brews over the clean up.
Coal mine rejection not broad precedent, says minister
Tanya Plibersek has defended her decision to block Clive Palmer's proposed coal mine in Queensland on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef.