THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ON THE MAINSTREAM POLITICAL AGENDA

The purpose of this paper is to identify some of the factors that have contributed to he well documented decline of the environment as a significant policy concern on he mainstream political agenda. On the basis of interviews with environmental ***ctivists, such factors would appear to include the hardening of the Australian Labor ***arty and concomitant softening of the Liberal Party to movement pressure; the increased institutionalised access of movement elites to decision‐making forums; the changed issue focus of some environmental organisations; and a shift in the movement's campaign tactics.