Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I must say I did not think I would end up standing in the House of Representatives with the opposition spokesman, the shadow minister for the environment, actually opposing the protection of lowland native grasslands of Tasmania consequent to a decision not to approve this disallowance motion taking place in the Senate. But that is what the member for Flinders is doing here today. He is diligently doing his bit to try and make sure that Australia’s environment is not protected.

I make one specific and particular point about this motion as it has come through. This is all about stunt politics and it is nothing about serious politics. It is all about stunt politics and it is nothing about a real understanding of what the Commonwealth’s responsibility for the environment really is. By the member for Flinders bringing a motion of this kind into the House, what he is actually saying is that he is opposed to the listing of this kind, he is opposed to the independent scientific advice that is provided to the minister for the environment of the day, he is opposed to the fact that we have been through a period of rigorous study and stakeholder consultation, and he is saying that the recommendation of the Threatened Scientific Species Committee, which is an arm’s length body and makes recommendations to the environment minister, is one that he thinks ought to be ignored and overturned. I did not think the day would come when the member for Flinders was actually going to put this forward in the House of Representatives but he has done it.

For the purposes of the record, the lowland native grasslands of Tasmania was publicly nominated for assessment in 2005 and the decision to list the lowland native grasslands as a critically endangered ecological community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act followed a rigorous, transparent and fair process. That is set out under environmental law, as the member for Flinders ought to well know. The fact is that it is important to emphasise that the decision I took to list the grasslands was informed by unequivocal advice from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee. The committee includes some of Australia’s leading scientists and it had spent two years carrying out a rigorous, scientific assessment of the grasslands. Over this period there was wide expert and public consultation as is required by the act. In particular the outcomes of a Tasmanian government review in 2008 of the grasslands were taken into consideration, as was the latest vegetation mapping data provided by the Tasmanian government.

The fact is that input from experts and the advice received from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee show clearly that the grasslands are critically endangered for a number of reasons: they have undergone severe decline, they have a restricted geographic distribution and they continue to be threatened. I note that the Tasmanian government review also came to this conclusion and highlighted that the loss of remnant grasslands has continued at a considerable rate in recent years.

It is important to emphasise that the listing of the lowland native grasslands of Tasmania will not prevent farmers and other land managers from continuing to use the land for farming as they have always done. Farmers will only need to seek approval when new or intensified practices are likely to significantly impact on the best quality areas of the grasslands. There is an assessment process under the EPBC Act for any new or intensified activities that might have a significant impact upon the listed ecological community. Approval for such actions would be withheld only if the significant impact on the critically endangered grasslands could not be avoided.

As was made clear in the Senate when this matter was raised, the Australian government is aware of concerns about the potential impact of the listing on farmers who may have listed grasslands on their property. We have taken a number of actions to assist these landholders. Firstly, we provided a widely promoted hotline to potentially affected farmers. Farmers may use the free call number, 1800 704 520, to discuss the grasslands with an officer of the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts currently stationed as a liaison officer with the National Farmers Federation. The government has ensured departmental officers are available to carry out site visits and to provide information to potentially affected farmers. Secondly, specific workshops will be held in Tasmania regarding the grasslands and the EPBC Act, and they start at the beginning of November.

Thirdly, and importantly, the Australian government is making two information guides available produced to supplement the listing and conservation advice that has been available online since the listing occurred. The first is an EPBC question-and-answer guide specifically for farmers and the second is to help people understand the reasons for the listing and to recognise and manage this ecological community. Finally, the government is willing to undertake, with the cooperation of the Tasmanian government, a strategic assessment of the midlands region, which is the process under which planning is carried out on a regional scale in consultation with local communities and other stakeholders taking into account a broad range of matters including the concerns of regional communities. A strategic assessment of this kind under the EPBC Act would benefit farmers by reducing red tape, clarifying future development opportunities for rural communities where the grasslands are located and at the same time provide better protection for the fragile grassland environment.

This government takes very seriously its responsibility for protecting the environment. The impact of this motion makes it quite clear that the opposition does not take it seriously.

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