INTERVIEW: The Cocos Islands will soon become uninhabitable; but what happens to the residents?

Conservation protest takes aim at "needless" harvesting on Great Barrier Reef

Australia is home to the world's largest coral reef ecosystem, but conservationists say it's also the country's largest coral fishery. The sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef has been the subject of discussion among environmentalists for quite some time. Now, a group of conservationists have resorted to an unconventional method of putting the spotlight on the situation.

INTERVIEW: Vanuatu's minister for Climate Change Ralph Regenvanu

Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu, has emerged as one of the Pacific’s most influential and principled public figures, combining political leadership with cultural advocacy and a sustained commitment to climate justice. In an exclusive interview with SBS, he said that current issues with fuel security and supply wouldn’t influence the negotiations between Australia and Vanuatu to finalise the Nakamal agreement. The treaty, initialed in August last year but not finalised, aims to enhance economic, security and cultural cooperation between the two countries. He told SBS’s Rayane Tamer that the current fuel crisis presents Australia with a unique opportunity to become an alternative energy superpower

INTERVIEW: The Cocos Islands will soon become uninhabitable; but what happens to the residents?

A remote Australian outpost more than 3,000 kilometres from Perth, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are facing an uncertain future. Climate modelling predicts the low-lying atoll, home to around 600 residents, could become uninhabitable within 50 years. About 460 of those residents are Cocos Malays, whose ancestors were brought to the islands generations ago as indentured labourers by the Clunies-Ross family, paid in company-issued tokens. Despite that history, the community has preserved a distinct culture and way of life that endures today. Following a United Nations-supervised vote in the 1980s, the Cocos Malays chose to integrate with Australia. Since that time, it is the isolation that has helped preserve the islands unique cultural identity. In this extended edition of Weekend One on One, Federal Minister for Local Government and Territories Kristy McBain speaks with SBS’s Christopher Tan, following the release of the Government’s Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan — the final report assessing the threats facing the Cocos Islands.

How the tale of one possum reveals threats to thousands of Aussie species

Australia’s unique wildlife is facing an escalating extinction crisis, driven primarily by climate change and compounded by habitat loss. 34 new species of plants and animals have been added to the government's threatened species list this February, including the lemuroid ringtail possum - native to north Queensland's Wet Tropics region. Researchers say urgent climate action and stronger environmental protections are critical to prevent further irreversible loss of Australia's signature biodiversity.

INTERVIEW: What needs to happen to bring the Murray Darling Basin back to health?

The Murray Darling Basin management plan is currently under review. Public submissions on a discussion paper [[see it here: https://www.mdba.gov.au/publications-and-data/publications/2026-basin-plan-review-discussion-paper]] are being accepted until  1 May 2026, as authorities determine their next steps in managing Australia's biggest river ecosystem. SBS has spoken with the national director of the Murray Darling Conservation Alliance, Craig Wilkins, about what those next steps should be.