This story explores the transformation of the humble Australian tea tree (Melaleuca spp.), which thrives in swampy areas, into an essential oil and other various health care products sold globally.
The burgeoning tea tree industry began in a remote, swampy area of the Richmond River Valley district in northern New South Wales.
Conservation in Australia is largely a matter of pious intentions.
Germaine Greer
When Anthony Albanese’s Labor government came to power in May 2022, environmental groups quickly pressed their wishlist onto the incoming ministers. Near the top was a global conservation commitment to protect 30 per cent of Australia’s land and oceans by 2030, part of a United Nations-endorsed pledge to halt biodiversity decline.