Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Hansard source

I table a letter I sent yesterday to Premier Barry O'Farrell. It is simply not good enough to have a situation where one state is wanting to make sure that the scientific checks are not done for them. There are some issues which currently do not fall within the ambit of federal legal powers but make a massive difference to the community. The member for Lyne is another who has been raising issues to do with his community. Member after member in different parts of New South Wales have been raising these issues. They fall within the jurisdiction of state responsibility but they are a massive issue. The federal government has put down the money to make sure the scientific work can be done. For some reason—and you can all work out your own conclusions as to why—Barry O'Farrell does not want that information to inform planning decisions in New South Wales.

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