The Wirangu people now have native title over part of their traditional lands in South Australia
The Wirangu have been granted native title to more than 5,000 square kilometres of land on South Australia’s west coast.
Australia
This archive collects solutions-journalism stories and milestones from Australia — covering advances in conservation, public health, Indigenous rights, clean energy, and more. Each entry highlights progress worth knowing about.
Monash University develops world’s first bionic eye to fully restore vision in blind people
Gennaris, a bionic vision system from Monash University, could open a path to sight for people whose blindness stems from optic nerve damage — a group that most existing visual aids simply cannot help. The device bypasses the eye entirely, sending signals from a camera headset directly to tiles implanted in the brain, which then create perceivable points of light. Sheep trials confirmed the implants are safe and stable in brain tissue, and human trials are now being planned. If it succeeds, the underlying technology could eventually be adapted to assist people living with paralysis too.
Carbon capture projects see meteoric growth globally in 2022
In 2022, firms have announced 61 new CCS projects, bringing the total number of commercial facilities in the pipeline to 196, including 30 currently in operation, 11 under construction, and 153 in development, a Global CCS Institute report found.
Australia to set aside at least 30% of its land mass to protect endangered species
Australia wildlife conservation just got a major boost: the federal government has pledged A$224.5 million to protect threatened native plants and animals, with conservation areas set to grow by 50 million hectares over the next decade. The 10-year plan zeroes in on 110 priority species and 20 special places, from koalas to swift parrots, with a formal review due in 2027. It’s a meaningful answer to a hard truth — Australia has lost more mammal species than any other continent, and the 2019-2020 bushfires alone killed or displaced an estimated three billion animals. The 30% land protection goal also puts Australia in step with a global movement to halt biodiversity loss, offering a hopeful template for countries wrestling with how to live alongside the rest of life on Earth.
Australia’s most-polluting coal plant to shut decade earlier than planned
The coal-fired Loy Yang A power station near Melbourne – responsible for more than three percent of the country’s emissions – will shut down in 2035, a decade earlier than planned.
Australia sets new climate target in landmark bill
Australia’s parliament has passed legislation enshrining a pledge to slash carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 and to net zero by 2050.
Australian Capitol Territory becomes first state in Australia to ban conventional cars
Australia’s Capital Territory is sending a clear signal to the rest of the country: the fossil-fuel car has an end date. The region surrounding Canberra wants at least 80% of new light vehicles sold there to be zero-emission by 2030, as a stepping stone to the full 2035 ban. Interest-free loans up to $15,000 and registration fee exemptions are already helping residents make the switch today. When a high-visibility jurisdiction at the heart of national politics demonstrates this transition is manageable, neighboring states face far less risk in following — and that ripple effect is exactly how national change begins.
Western Australia to retire all government-owned coal-fired power stations by 2030
They will then invest an estimated $3.8 billion by 2030 into a generation of renewables and storage, mostly wind and batteries, to ensure Western Australia has affordable and reliable power into the future.
Lincoln Crowley appointed Australia’s first Indigenous supreme court justice
Lincoln Crowley QC has become the first Indigenous person ever appointed to an Australian superior court, taking his seat on the Supreme Court of Queensland. A Warramunga man who grew up in Charters Towers, Crowley was once told by a school deputy principal that his Aboriginal family were “the type that end up in jail.” His reply, as he later recalled: “You wait and see, mate.” He began his career representing Indigenous clients before rising to crown prosecutor and senior counsel on Australia’s disability royal commission. For every First Nations child watching, the message of his appointment is quietly powerful: the justice system can include them, not just process them — a small but meaningful shift in a country still reckoning with who its laws have served.
Landmark study finds first biomarker to detect babies at risk of SIDS
SIDS has resisted explanation for generations, but researchers have now found the first biological signal present at birth that distinguishes vulnerable infants from others. Australian scientists discovered that babies who died of SIDS had measurably lower levels of an enzyme called butyrylcholinesterase — which helps regulate the brain’s arousal response — in routine newborn blood samples. That same heel-prick screening already happens in hospitals worldwide, meaning a future test could fit into existing programs with little disruption. This finding gives researchers a concrete target for the first time, and brings the dream of preventing these devastating losses meaningfully closer.