We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the sovereign Traditional Owners of Australia and thank them for their stewardship of this Country, its lands, waters and skies. We respectfully acknowledge their culture and customary practices, and pay respect to their Ancestors, Elders and future leaders.

For the first time, the State of the Environment report includes a strong Indigenous narrative across all 12 thematic chapters, a narrative crafted through recognising the leadership, collaboration and authorship of Indigenous Australians who continue their connection as Traditional Owners to their lands, waters and skies.

Click to view the State of the Environment report

On 28 March 2025 the government assumed a Caretaker role. Information on websites maintained by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water will be published in accordance with the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions until after the conclusion of the caretaker period.

Due to technical issues, graphs, maps and tables are currently not displaying within the main content, however, are available via the chapter resources navigation bar. We are working on a solution to resolve the issue.

References

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Harrington N & Cook P (2014). Groundwater in Australia, National Centre for Groudwater Research and Training, Adelaide.

Hartwig LD & Jackson S (2020). The status of Aboriginal water holdings in the Murray–Darling Basin, ARI report no. 2020/004, prepared for the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane.

Hartwig LD, Jackson S & Osborne N (2018). Recognition of Barkandji water rights in Australian settler–colonial water regimes. Resources 7(1):16.

Hartwig LD, Jackson S & Osborne N (2020). Trends in Aboriginal water ownership in New South Wales, Australia: the continuities between colonial and neoliberal forms of dispossession. Land Use Policy 99:104869.

Hatfield-Dodds S, Hajkowicz S & Eady S (2021). Stocktake of megatrends shaping Australian agriculture: 2021 update, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics and Sciences, Canberra.

HEPA (Heads of EPA Australia and New Zealand) (2018). PFAS National Environmental Management Plan, HEPA, Australia.

HEPA (Heads of EPA Australia and New Zealand) (2020). PFAS National Environmental Management Plan version 2.0, HEPA, Australia.

Huf B & McLean H (2020). 2019–20 bushfires: quick guide, research note no. 1, February 2020, Parliamentary Library and Information Service, Parliament of Victoria, Melbourne.