EnviroWatch

On 29 November 2014, Victorians went to the polls and voted in the Andrews Labor Government.

During its election campaign, Labor released a modest environment policy called ‘Our Environment, Our Future’, but also made other environmental commitments through public statements and media releases. You can view the full list, including additional post-election commitments, here.

Since being elected, the Andrews Government has repeatedly stated its desire to be a leader on climate change, renewable energy and the environment. We welcome that ambition, and now we need to make sure the government delivers on it.

This Enviro-Tracker page provides factual, spin-free and up-to-date information for Victorians to track the Andrews Government’s progress on important issues like reducing coal use, increasing renewable energy, creating sustainable homes and protecting our fragile rivers. Environment Victoria also published a report on the progress of the Andrews Government on its first anniversary in late November 2015.

We’ll be continually updating this page and doing our job of increasing transparency and holding our elected leaders to account. You can help by sharing this page with your networks and making sure our politicians know you’re keeping track too!

Below are the actions the Andrews Government has taken, current as of Tuesday 2 February 2016:

Clean up our power supply and reduce pollution

The following is a list of actions taken so far by the Andrews Government, categorised according to whether they are transformative, substantive, or small but useful.

Click on each category to see the list

Transformative Initiatives

Substantial Initiatives

Small But Useful Initiatives

 

Make our homes and communities efficient, affordable and sustainable

The following is a list of actions taken so far by the Andrews Government, categorised according to whether they are transformative, substantive, or small but useful.

Click on each category to see the list

Transformative Initiatives

Substantial Initiatives

Small But Useful Initiatives

 

Protect and restore Victoria’s natural environment

The following is a list of actions taken so far by the Andrews Government, categorised according to whether they are transformative, substantive, or small but useful.

Click on each category to see the list

Transformative Initiatives

Substantial Initiatives

Small But Useful Initiatives

 

Going backwards

 

  • In April and May 2015, the Andrews Government issued four new coal exploration licences in Gippsland. More In response to community concern, Energy Minister D’Ambrosio took personal control over new coal licence approvals and commenced an independent review of the Energy and Earth Resources branch of her department. More

  • Water Minister Lisa Neville has opposed further water buy-backs for Victoria’s northern rivers, wetlands and River Red Gum national parks as part of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan by supporting the Commonwealth government’s cap on water buy-backs.

    Additionally, Minister Neville has publicly supported changing legislation to limit the ability of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to trade water to deliver better environmental water outcomes as part of the Murray-Darling Basin
    Plan. More

Note: The Andrews Government has initiated a large number of reviews and processes. The results of these processes, in terms of policy, actions and funding, will be reported in Enviro-Tracker once they are complete.

Think we've missed something? Send us an email and let us know.

What needs to happen

If Victoria is to be a leader, the Andrews Government should should act with urgency and deliver a credible plan to create a pollution-free Victoria economy, with a rapid transition from dirty coal to clean energy. Check out our Six Steps to Climate Leadership report for more detail. This report sets out six ambitious yet achievable steps required for leadership on climate change in Victoria, including ending all coal exploration and ruling out coal exports.

On energy efficiency, Environment Victoria expects the Andrews Government to deliver a comprehensive plan for cutting our carbon pollution and saving power in our homes and business.

The Andrews Government also needs a plan for our rivers that ensures they get their fair share of water and are not trashed by cattle. This will need to include stronger commitments to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, including buying back water to replenish rivers. Finally, they should end logging in high-conservation value native forests and recognise the carbon value of natural ecosystems with a comprehensive plan to protect and restore Victoria’s biodiversity.

Two years in...

Read our recent blog post on the progress of the Andrews government below. A more comprehensive report will follow early in 2017.

Read