As Anthony Albanese ponders when to call the federal election, his government cops a social media slapdown from a Hollywood heavyweight, Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Academy Award-winning American actor and eco-warrior fired a shot at the ALP leadership for approving deforestation within West Australia’s Jarrah Forest.
Last month, federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek okayed proposals by mining company South32 that would clear almost 4,000 hectares of native vegetation at the northern Jarrah forests in the state’s south-west, part of a mine expansion.
That follows the WA’s environmental watchdog conditional green-light last year for deforestation plans, which would enable South32’s crew to extract bauxite, the key ingredient in aluminium.
Conservationists slammed the decision at the time. And now, DiCaprio has weighed in.
In a post to his 61 million Instagram followers, the veteran actor explains that 9,600 acres of old growth forest are threatened, as are species like the “critically endangered” Woylie.
“This operation will destroy critical habitat for over 8,000 species, 80% of which are found nowhere else on Earth,” he writes. “While native forest logging was banned in Western Australia in 2024, clearance of native forests for mining is still allowed due to separate government policies that prioritize mining development over environmental protection.”
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DiCaprio warns that the new approval would bring the total area of Jarrah Forests cleared to over 38,000 acres, and calls on conversationists to “protect these towering ecosystems that are already at risk of climate collapse.”
Fellow environmentalist John Butler has interacted with the post.
DiCaprio has a green thumb and uses his celebrity to fight for good causes. Outside of movie-making, he serves as a UN Messenger of Peace and helms the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which supports over 35 conservation projects around the world that protect fragile ecosystems and key species.
The actor has a special connection with Australia. He played the titular role in Baz Luhrmann’s 2013’s feature film, The Great Gatsby, which was primarily shot in Sydney.