Environmental Reforms to Secure Intergenerational Justice: An Edited Extract from the Address to the 2026 AARES Conference, Adelaide

ABSTRACT Australia's natural environment has been devastated by decades of land clearing, habitat destruction, invasive species and climate change—and the economics discipline has largely looked the other way. In November 2025, the Australian Parliament passed landmark amendments to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. These reforms are a game‐changer—but they are just a start. Restoration at scale must follow, properly funded and integrated with climate policy; anything less is a betrayal of future generations. Rebuilding natural capital is not a discretionary amenity. For this and every subsequent generation of Australians, it is a matter of survival.