Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

With respect to some of the minister 's comments, I'd like to point out that I and the other crossbenchers are here as direct representatives of our communities, and the concerns that we have about this bill go to the concerns that are being raised by people in our communities about approval of new fossil fuel projects. I cannot tell you how many people in my community speak to me about their disappointment in a government that they thought came in with so much promise in regard to climate policy and is now giving with one hand and taking with the other.

As I've said over the last couple of weeks about this bill, you can't fake it 'til you make it when it comes to getting to net zero. Really the crux of it is in the amendment from the member for Warringah, and that is that other measures that are sort of a sidebar to this bill are being called on to do a lot of work within it. The crossbench in this place calls things as it sees it, and the call was, and I think remains—and I don't want to speak on behalf of my colleagues, but certainly for me—that this other-measures piece is not a sidebar to this legislation; it's very central to it. That is the concern about putting something that is framed as a small thing into legislation that is about something else entirely and actually has the potential to have a big impact on our carbon emissions and our carbon footprint.

At the end of the day, these other measures do pose risks to environmental protection, do pose risks to genuine First Nations engagement and do go to the integrity and good governance piece. Again, with respect to the minister, our job is to create accountability in this place. Unfortunately, that sometimes means pointing out hard truths. The hard truth about this bill is that this piece of it should be taken out, properly considered by more than a five-hour Senate inquiry and considered separately. Really, that is at the centre of the conversation that we've been having over the last couple of weeks and that we continue to have today. Those here in this chamber are doing our job by questioning the government about this bill. That's what we were elected to do. That's what we will continue to do. Sometimes that's a tough conversation, and it has to be had.

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