Tanya Plibersek declares environment ‘is back front and centre’ in Australia at UN ocean conference

Environment minister Tanya Plibersek told the UN ocean conference in Lisbon there was no prospect of safeguarding the environment and oceans without focused action on climate change. Photograph: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

Australia’s new environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has received an enthusiastic welcome in Lisbon at the UN ocean conference after flagging five new blue carbon projects and declaring that “under the new Australian government, the environment is back – front and centre”.

Plibersek opened her contribution at the conference by telling delegates: “For those of you who don’t follow Australian politics very closely, we’ve just had an election, there’s a new government, the whole world has changed.”