The Seven News Spotlight documentary, ‘The Dirty Secret Powering Australia’s Green Future’, which premiered on Sunday 19 April 2026, has once again laid bare the contradictions between the promise of renewable energy and the stark realities of the transition.
In this investigative report, Liam Bartlett and his team travelled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia to document the rampant human rights abuses and devastating environmental destruction involved in mining cobalt and copper. At sites like the Shabara mine, the team exposed how these essential resources are being plundered, primarily by Chinese companies that dominate the global renewable supply chain. The Congolese people, many of whom are forced into conditions akin to modern slavery, have no recourse for the destruction of their lands. These revelations highlight a chilling disregard for human life in the race for green minerals.
Closer to home, the documentary highlights a parallel crisis that is the environmental toll of wind farms in Australia. Pristine habitats, including our ancient, cool climate Gondwanan remnants in Tasmania, are being cleared at an alarming rate to make way for massive wind turbine projects and sprawling transmission lines. The scale of land clearing and the resulting destruction of native wildlife habitat is astounding. It proves there is nothing truly green or ethical about the Labor Government’s net zero transition.
The government has a fundamental responsibility to ensure that human rights and environmental standards are not violated in our pursuit of green energy. Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018, introduced under the Coalition, requires large entities to report on human rights risks in their supply chains. The Albanese Labor Government must provide answers to the Australian people on the following questions:
The Coalition advocates for using Australian energy resources for Australians. You can be certain that resources extracted in Australia are not the product of slave labour. You can be certain that Australian precious metals, and resources such as coal and gas, extracted from Australian mines, are done so under fair and safe conditions. If we were to lift the ban and use our own uranium to power nuclear plants, we would not only secure our grid but be significantly less reliant on Chinese products with dubious supply chains for our energy needs.
Minister Chris Bowen may dismiss these inconvenient truths as misinformation, but honesty and courage are not misinformation. The environmentalists and citizens worried about habitat destruction are not spreading falsehoods; they are telling a truth that needs to be heard. I urge Minister Bowen to prioritise domestic resources and
responsible development in Australia’s energy future, over slave labour and rampant destruction in the name of net zero.
Ends
Media contact: William Spence M | 0438 206 222
