Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health) Share this | Hansard source

My community on the Central Coast of New South Wales is against PEP-11. People living up and down the coast, from Newcastle to Sydney, and across Australia are against PEP-11. Yet Minister Pitt still hasn't made a decision—eight months after his original deadline—and today we're told not to be hasty, and the government is gagging debate. This is a project that will devastate our coastline, our local marine life and our local economy. That's why I stand against PEP-11. That's why all my colleagues on this side of the House stand against PEP-11.

Last year, with colleagues and with members of the government as well, we met with the Surfrider Foundation to save our coast on the lawns of Parliament House, calling on this government to stop PEP-11. In February I stood with my Labor colleagues, many of whom are in the House today—the member for Newcastle, the member for Kingsford Smith, the member for Paterson and all of my colleagues up and down the coast. We stood together with Labor leader Anthony Albanese as we announced Labor's united opposition to PEP-11. In April, with Liesel Tesch, the state member for Gosford, I joined the Surfrider Foundation to save our coast, paddling out against PEP-11, with Ace Buchan, international surfing champion.

Then in August I joined a virtual town hall with advocacy groups to reaffirm my opposition to PEP-11. And I'm not the only one. In my community over 1,800 people have signed a petition to stop PEP-11 and thousands more from Newcastle, Sydney and across Australia. We know Save Our Coast has collected 77,000 signatures to stop this flawed project and this risky plan to drill for fossil fuels within PEP-11.

The opposition is across the community. Glen from Bateau Bay wrote to me: 'I have been able to raise my children here on the Central Coast, passing onto them a love for our ocean, coastline and marine life. The excitement of dolphins swimming close to them, their looks of amazement at the sight of whales fully breaching, still gives me a feeling of happiness.' Kathy from Berkeley Vale said, 'The beach is our happy place. We moved up from Sydney a few years ago and have a quieter and more relaxed life here on the coast. We love it here. For our family of five we love going to the beach. It's our way to reset.' She has echoed the views of hundreds of locals across the Central Coast.

According to the Environmental Defenders Office the PEP-11 project could see drilling commence in a world renowned whale migration route and dolphin habitat, risking devastating the marine ecosystem and exposing locals from Newcastle to Manly to the Central Coast to the prospect of petroleum spills or gas rigs just kilometres from the coastline. Locals are acutely aware of this risk. Even Ben & Jerry's have spoken against this project, making it clear they do not want this project to go ahead.

The minister has still not made a decision. The New South Wales government is opposed to PEP-11. They declared this earlier this year. The New South Wales government said they were opposed to PEP-11. As part of the joint authority Minister Pitt can make this decision with a stroke of a pen today and he's failing to do so. Minister Pitt could do this with a stroke of a pen today but he still hasn't made a decision. And now we're being told by the government that this is too hasty, that we're trying to move too quickly. This is why they're suspending debate today—more than a decade and opposition up and down the coast. This will devastate our communities, our marine life and our way of life. We're told that this is hasty, that we're moving too quickly. Do you know what the government has? A complete lack of urgency. There's a complete lack of urgency from the government. Either they don't get it or they don't care.

Members opposite can stand and speak in support of the private members' bill today but do you know what they could do? They could advocate strongly in their caucus. They could advocate for the government to make a decision today. They could call on Minister Pitt to do the right thing by our community, to do the right thing by our environment, to do the right thing by our economy and make this decision today. Members opposite, speak today, but I urge you, do the right thing. Don't say one thing in your electorate and another thing in this House. Do the right thing by our community. Make Minister Pitt make the decision that our community needs and deserves and is long overdue. You can speak up in this House and you can say another thing in your electorate. You need to do the right thing on PEP-11 for all of us and call on the minister to make a decision today. This is with the stroke of a pen. We don't need this private members' bill—although we fully support it because the government won't act. Now we're preparing for this push and we will vote for this if we get the chance to vote for it but the minister said they won't. It will be suspended. We won't get the opportunity. We will support a private members' bill to stop PEP-11. I am prepared to support this bill and so are my colleagues. But you've already adjourned the debate and now you are suspending standing orders, that's why I am urging the minister to put an end to the uncertainty for my community. He has the power to stop PEP-11 with the stroke of a pen today. Do what's right, minister. This has dragged on for too long.

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