The 2025 WA Election has delivered a decisive victory for the Cook Labor Government, but there was a strong swing towards Independents and the Greens. A clear message has been sent to the government that people want more action on the environment, an issue since acknowledged by multiple Labor MPs. This next term could mark a huge opportunity for the further protection of Western Australia’s forests. We must work together to put pressure on the Government to build on the native forest logging ban and demand stronger, more responsible stewardship of our natural landscapes.
New Ministers, new opportunities
The newly elected government has announced a cabinet reshuffle. This is a chance to hit the reset button and make our case for why WA’s forests need to be protected from mining and an inappropriate fire management regime.
Here is a summary of the relevant changes in Ministers to our work:
Hon. Matthew Swinbourn MLC
Minister for Environment
📞 (08) 9452 8311
✉️swinbourn.emetro@mp.wa.gov.au
Hon. Don Punch MLA for Bunbury
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs; Water; Climate Resilience; South West
📞 (08) 6552 6900
✉️ Minister.Punch@dpc.wa.gov.au
Hon. Reece Whitby MLA for Baldivis
Minister for Tourism (outgoing Minister for Environment)
📞 (08) 6552 6300
✉️ Minister.Whitby@dpc.wa.gov.au
Hon. David Michael MLA for Balcatta
Minister for Mines and Petroleum (no change)
📞 (08) 6552 5100
✉️ Minister.Michael@dpc.wa.gov.au
Hon. Stephen Dawson MLC
Minister for Regional Development; Science and Innovation (no change)
📞 (08) 6552 5800
✉️ minister.dawson@dpc.wa.gov.au
Hon. Roger Cook MLA for Kwinana
Premier, Minister for State Development; Economic Diversification (new portfolio)
📞 (08) 6552 5000
✉️ wa-government@dpc.wa.gov.au
End forest mining
One of the most urgent challenges we face is putting an end to forest mining. The Northern Jarrah Forests (NJF) are under severe threat, not just from bauxite mining but from the worsening impacts of climate change.
This was evident during last year’s ‘forest collapse’, a widespread vegetation die-off even worse than what the NJF experienced in 2011. Clearing for mining intensifies the impact of a warming and drying climate on surrounding forests and threatens the future of a much broader area than the hectares bulldozed for bauxite.
Rehab doesn’t work
Despite what Alcoa and South32 claim, rehabilitation efforts are failing. We must not be swayed by corporate reassurances that promise to restore the land, when the evidence on the ground tells a different story.
South32 may have secured state and federal approval for their Worsley mine expansion, but we’ll be up against them every step of the way.
Alcoa’s current and future mining will soon be up for public consultation. This is our chance to ensure that the Cook Government hears loud and clear that our forests are far more valuable than foreign profits. We must mobilise, unite, and raise our voices to protect these irreplaceable ecosystems from further devastation.
We can still stop South32, and we will stop Alcoa. We must end forest mining.
Rethinking fire management
Another pressing issue is the need to overhaul WA’s outdated system of prescribed burns. Currently, the quota-based approach results in burns that are too hot, too dangerous, and often take place in the wrong areas.
This occurred near Nornalup’s Valley of the Giants in December 2024 in a burn. the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) described as a ‘success’. This was despite the loss of over 150 iconic giant Tingle trees. Citizen scientists have bravely documented the real impacts, but we need a systemic change in the way that DBCA approach prescribed burns to prevent such tragedies in the future. Fire-sensitive ecosystems like Tingle forests should be placed in exclusion zones.
Instead of relying on outdated practices, we need to add modern tools to the DBCA and Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) toolkit. Investing in rapid detection and suppression technologies could save lives and habitats alike. Western Australia is lagging behind other states in this regard—whilst we are just beginning trials of detection cameras used in Queensland since 2002, South Australia has already launched satellites to detect and suppress fires quickly.
If the WA Government is serious about protecting lives and forests from bushfires, it must overhaul the prescribed burning regime, and implement the latest technology and scientific understanding.
Together, we can make change
It’s up to all of us to protect WA’s forests. We must seize this moment to push for a stronger, science-driven approach to forest management and a complete end to destructive mining practices.
Now is the time to make our voices heard. Let’s come together as a community and demand that this newly re-elected Cook Government and his new ministers prioritise the future of forests and people over short-term profit.
Join us, support WA Forest Alliance, and be part of the movement to secure a sustainable future for our unique and precious ecosystems.
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