Phil Walter/Getty Images Three months into the war in Iran, the largest disruption to New Zealand’s oil supply in living memory appears to have done nothing to change the government’s approach to transport. Budget 2026 spends more on roads, less on rail and nothing on walking or cycling. It also raids bus decarbonisation to fund a review of pipes. Finance Minister Nicola Willis warned ahead of budget day there would be no extravagance this year – and the government’s now-rele

Since April 15, Victoria has been operating without meaningful political finance laws. As the days have passed, candidates have received unregulated political donations that would once have exceeded donation caps. Foreign and anonymous donations have been allowed. For the first time in years, Victorians have had no reliable way of knowing who is funding political campaigns. That vacuum is a serious threat to the integrity of Victoria’s democratic system. The unregulated and u

The director of Tasmania's Environment Protection Authority rejects calls to release real-time information on the amount of antibiotics used by salmon producers, despite the companies already providing that information to other government bodies.

As Victoria and NSW chase billions in data centre capital, a report warns households could foot the bill for a dirtier, costlier grid.

Getty Images The government’s recent announcement of support for voluntary carbon and nature markets effectively offers a “warrant of fitness” to signal which markets can be trusted, without directly regulating them. The aim is straightforward. By giving investors, landowners and developers confidence, the government hopes to unlock private finance for projects that reduce emissions or restore ecosystems. As Associate Minister for the Environment Andrew Hoggard put it: The pr

An Adelaide man alleges the state government failed to properly refer the controversial North Adelaide Golf Course to the federal environment minister for approval.

WA Greens environment spokesperson Jess Beckerling said the government should not be even considering issuing a new exemption order for the miner.

Texas was once defined by its fossil fuel industry, but its renewables boom has outback Queensland councils paying attention.

Getty Images With the lid now lifted on Budget 2026 , many small and medium New Zealand businesses will be poring over the detail to see what it has in store for them. Many may come away disappointed. With the government having been upfront about its spending constraints, this budget was never likely to deliver a large new package for small firms. Instead, the budget delivers a mix of smaller compliance changes, infrastructure spending and energy transition support. It also i

Used tyres and wood waste will soon help to power a large cement manufacturing site in Tasmania as Cement Australia moves away from coal to alternative fuels, but some remain concerned the environmental benefit may be offset if the wood waste is sourced from logged native forests.

Drag queen and environmental activist Pattie Gonia is ready to take on a retail titan in court.

Mining giant BHP has come under fire for spending hundreds of millions of dollars on new diesel trucks in the Pilbara, despite promising a transition to electric trucks in its climate strategy. Like other mining companies, BHP’s diesel-driven fleet is eligible for fuel tax credits on diesel. The company’s controversial decision to shelve its plans raises the pressing issue of the diesel fuel rebate. This rebate began as targeted support for a struggling agricultural sector in

Reiner Richter/iNaturalist , CC BY-NC-SA When you picture a cave, you probably think of an environment devoid of life. But for most caves on Earth, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Caves are remarkably good at supporting life. Underground air temperature and humidity levels are usually consistent. For vulnerable species unable to tolerate fluctuations above ground, caves are a haven. This is why ecologists think of caves as evolutionary time capsules. They preserve tr

MirageC/Getty Australia’s biggest industrial gas users pump out about 5% of our greenhouse gas emissions . To have any chance of reaching our emissions targets, Australia need to reduce its heavy reliance on fossil gas. But to make this possible, we need to produce supplies of green hydrogen – made with renewable energy – and biomethane. On current trends, we won’t have enough. Despite allocating billions of dollars to support green hydrogen, Australia’s policies don’t seem t

xavierarnau/Getty From July 1, many Australians can choose something that once sounded absurd: free electricity in the middle of the day. The federal government’s opt-in Solar Sharer Offer will give three hours of free power to households with smart meters in New South Wales, South Australia and southeast Queensland. Victoria’s separate scheme will launch in October. Free power sounds like a giveaway. It isn’t. It’s meant to encourage people to use more electricity during the

It's been about for a century, but companies are springing to action to find "gold hydrogen" underground around the country, as Australia and the world strive to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

There are signs an El Nino weather pattern is approaching, with forecasters tracking a spike in temperatures that could trigger the climate driver by winter.

Climate change is exacerbating rainfall, flooding and sea-level rises in coastal and low lying areas. During the past few years, disastrous floods have swept through Lismore in New South Wales, Northern Queensland , and the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. Large waves have pounded beaches, causing erosion in Byron Bay and Wamberal Beach in NSW and Lancelin , Western Australia. With climate change likely to accelerate extreme weather in Australia, planned or managed retreat – mov

The deep-sea sponge _Calyx_ sp. in its natural habitat. PROBIO-DEEP/Fugro When we think of marine life, we usually picture colourful coral reefs or dense seaweed forests filled with fish and other critters. The ocean that comes to mind is the one touched by sunlight. However, most of the ocean is not like that. By volume, roughly 95% of the ocean consists of the permanently dark, cold deep sea . Despite such hostile conditions though, there is life in the ocean’s abyss. Deep-

In recent days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli army to seize 70% of Gaza – a sizeable increase from the 60% it currently controls. This follows an updated map sent to aid agencies in Gaza in late March featuring a new “orange line” demarcating the restricted area under military control – about 11% larger than the area agreed to with the “yellow line” in the October ceasefire with Hamas. Israel’s defence minister has also confirmed in recent