QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator DAVID POCOCK (Australian Capital Territory—Independent ACT Whip) (14:27): My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator Watt. Minister, the government has made some very welcome commitments to zero new extinctions and protecting 30 per cent of land and seas by 2030, yet, according to the Biodiversity Council, just 0.1 per cent of our federal budget, or $474 million, was spent on nature protection in 2025.

At the same time, on the most recent figures, $26 billion in subsidies are flowing to activities that actually harm biodiversity. Can the government meet its environmental commitments without a substantial increase in funding for nature, including the Saving Native Species program?