Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Hansard source

There are some interjections about the border, but I don't know the exact dates. I only know there's been a lot of speculation and a lot of—

Honourable members interjecting—

Excuse me—I'll take the interjection, since no-one seems to understand what I'm actually saying, Deputy Speaker Irons. I know you do, as a member from the great state of Western Australia. I don't know when the Leader of the Opposition is heading to the Pilbara, but he's been spruiking that visit in the press for a long time: 'Here I come, and I love you, resources sector.' When he gets there he might hear a different message. We know that there are others on the other side who want these reforms and they remain sidelined. These are the pragmatic members of the Labor Party, and we know who they are. They understand that these reforms represent the first step not only to providing jobs and growing the economy but to delivering better environmental outcomes.

Labor also criticised the bill for the provisions that establish the Environmental Assurance Commissioner. This is a new position that is directly lifted from the Samuel report, and what Professor Samuel recommended was a new independent statutory position of the Environmental Assurance Commissioner to provide strong and independent oversight. This bill delivers on this recommendation. The fact is that if the parliament doesn't support these bills opportunities to put in place single-touch approvals this year and the new Environmental Assurance Commissioner will be lost. As the Business Council of Australia said:

We have a genuine opportunity to improve the efficiency of decision-making while addressing the deteriorating state of Australia's environmental assets.

I will be moving a number of amendments to the bill to address the recommendations of the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee. I do that in good faith because throughout the process and consistent with my engagement with, consultation with and approach to all of the parties interested in this bill, I have listened, and the government will move amendments that reflect that important committee's recommendations. This bill, together with the streamlining bill, represents a starting point. This parliament must allow the journey to commence. The standards and assurance bill represents a sensible and pragmatic approach to provide transparency in decision-making and confidence in assurance and oversight.

I mentioned that I have listened to much of the debate, and so much of it is not on what this bill is actually about. So much of it shows a misunderstanding of what our EPBC reform is about. I don't know if that's deliberate or if people haven't interrogated our reforms correctly, but I want to make one really clear point.

Honourable members interjecting—

All the Labor Party is doing is interjecting. I'd love to answer these questions on the floor of the House in question time, so please hold that thought. But it is really important to note that we are not handing over powers to the states, so that they can pick them up and do what they like with them. We are lifting all states to one strong national standard, so that if a state does not meet that standard it does not receive accreditation, it does not receive my signature for a bilateral agreement. There is no drop-dead date for states to come on board. There is no talk of the Commonwealth walking away. There are call-in powers for the minister. There are supervision powers. The member for Watson was talking about treaties. He must've deliberately misunderstood. There are call-in powers for the minister and there are strong national standards that will be met, or no bilateral agreements will be entered into. So we are lifting the standard of the states across Australia through that strong Commonwealth oversight. We'll do that via something that hasn't been proposed before, and that is the Environmental Assurance Commissioner.

I know that the government is really committed to this reform. I know that the Treasurer wants this bill to pass for jobs and COVID recovery. I know that the industry minister wants this bill to pass for industry. I know the health minister wants this bill to pass because the health minister understands the need for jobs as we're coming out of COVID. And I know the resources minister wants this bill to pass for the resources sector. But I want this bill to pass for the environment. I want this bill to pass because I know that this is the first stage of genuine reform to protect our unique and precious landscape and places.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Irons): The original question was that this bill be now read a second time, to which the honourable member for Griffith moved as an amendment that all words after 'That' be omitted with a view to substituting other words. The honourable member for Clark has moved as an amendment to that amendment that all words after 'whilst' be omitted with a view to substituting other words. The immediate question is that the amendment moved by the honourable member for Clark be disagreed to.

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