Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Macnamara for that question. He is one of the strongest advocates in this place for real action on climate change and for real action to protect our beautiful environment.

I was delighted this week when our Prime Minister signed the Leaders Pledge for Nature at the United Nations. This was an important commitment, joining Australia to the global effort to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. This is a document that commits us as a nation to working with other nations on stronger global efforts to reduce deforestation; stop unsustainable fishing practices; provide more sustainable food systems; and promote the circular economy and recycling—not so controversial, really.

But those opposite refused the opportunity to sign up in 2020, because the Morrison government said, in a moment of real honesty, that this didn't fit; it was inconsistent with their policies. So they rejected the offer made by those dangerous greenies like Angela Merkel, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, Jacinda Ardern and Justin Trudeau, who invited us to be part of this international effort. And I tell you: they were right that this was inconsistent with their policies, because their policies over the last nine years saw them cut environment funding by 40 per cent, axe climate laws and sabotage the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, tying it up with brown tape. Those opposite failed to fix Australia's broken environmental laws. They hid the State of the environment report. They had it for months and never released it when they were in government, because it tells the story that Australia's environment is bad and getting worse.

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