Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Whether or not the minister chooses to accept the emotions and concerns that have motivated the crossbench to speak out about this bill as we have today, those emotions are real and those concerns are real. I think I can speak for my crossbench colleagues when I say that none of us feel that we can support this bill in its current form, and we've been similarly concerned by the fact that no members of the government, other than the minister, or of the opposition have spoken to this bill. Our concerns have been met with some personal criticisms and blanket denials, not with factual or detailed responses. I think I can speak for my crossbench colleagues when I say that we might consider supporting this bill if we had a feeling of surety and confidence that all members of the government supported it. We haven't heard from the environment minister. We haven't heard from the minister for Indigenous affairs. We haven't heard them say that they feel comfortable about this bill, and I would ask the Minister for Resources why that might be.

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