Queensland budget invests in national parks but ‘does nothing’ for climate crisis, critics say

Queensland has committed $200m to expanding the national park estate, a figure the WWF says is the ‘largest single investment’ in the state’s history. Photograph: Peter Adams/Getty Images

Queensland conservationists are celebrating a state budget with unprecedented funding for new national parks, but others are outraged it “does nothing” to address the climate emergency.

On Tuesday, the Palaszczuk government committed $262.5m to protecting more land for nature. That included $250m for land acquisition and capital works, a figure the World Wide Fund for Nature described as the largest single investment in national parks acquisition in the state’s history.