Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When the government were elected, we faced an environmental crisis that couldn't be ignored. Over the past decade, under the Liberals, Australia witnessed a dramatic decline in the health of our environment—a period marked by a series of policy failures and inaction that left our natural landscapes vulnerable and deteriorating.

The Australia state of the environment 2021 report, which the Deputy Leader of the Opposition received but chose to hide until after the election, painted a devastating picture. This report revealed that Australia's environment was in dire straits, with our unique ecosystems and wildlife facing unprecedented threats. It revealed that Australia had lost more mammal species to extinction than any other continent, that we had habitat loss equivalent to the size of Tasmania and that rivers in the Murray-Darling Basin were at record-low flows. On the Liberals' watch, invasive species flourished, native vegetation was cleared at alarming rates and our oceans were choked with plastic pollution.

Much like our current debate over renewable energy, the Liberals and Nationals take a similar stance on environmental policy, one that is anchored in delay and denial. You can't fix a problem that you can't see, and, on the environment, the Liberals and Nationals see no issue to fix. They ignored the critical recommendations of the Samuel review into environmental laws, which called for substantial reforms to protect our natural assets. Instead, they maintained a regulatory framework that failed to safeguard our environment effectively. Their approach to recycling was equally lacklustre. They set targets without any concrete plans to achieve them, happy to release a press release but with nothing to underpin it.

The Liberals halved the highly protected areas of marine parks, exposing our marine biodiversity to increased threats. Additionally, they slashed funding for the environment department by 40 per cent, crippling the very agency tasked with protecting our natural heritage. The decade under the Liberals was one of wilful environmental neglect, marked by a failure to act in the face of clear and present danger. Theirs is a poor record of missed opportunities and neglect that have left our environment worse off.

Our government inherited this mess. Professor Graeme Samuel, author of the 2020 review, said only a few months ago:

The government and the minister are doing everything exactly as they should be doing. I don't underestimate the complexity of what has to be done …

The task to undo the damage from the Liberals is enormous. The task to gain consensus and bring the community with us is enormous. But I was elected, and the government was elected, to address those challenges methodically and with purpose. Our commitment to reversing the damage of the past and ensuring a sustainable future is evident in every environmental policy, every environmental program and every piece of legislation on the environment that we've introduced into this House.

Our establishment of the world's first nature repair market represents a groundbreaking initiative to encourage the restoration and protection of natural ecosystems. Our expansion of the water trigger will protect our precious water resources. And the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Information Australia, before the House at the minute, is a huge step forward. It's absurd that Australia does not have a national EPA, and the government must fix that—and, with the support of this parliament, we will.

The EPA will operate as an independent authoritative body with robust enforcement powers, ensuring that our environmental laws, current and future, are upheld and that they are actively enforced. This new agency will be instrumental in holding violators accountable and maintaining the integrity of our environmental protections.

Environment Information Australia will play a crucial role in providing consistent, reliable data on the state of our environment, and, by integrating data collections and reporting, EIA will enable better informed decision-making and greater accountability.

We are taking and will continue to take action on climate and the environment.

We will fight against the Liberal plans to oppose and delay our efforts to decarbonise our economy because we just have to; we cannot rest on our laurels. The environmental challenges we face as a nation are immense and complex. Our environmental reforms cannot end just with what we've announced—there is much more to do. We need to finish the job because the alternative is not an option. Australia deserves and expects a government that not only speaks about environmental protection but acts decisively to achieve it. We must ensure that our efforts remain unwavering and that our commitment to these reforms remains steadfast. As long as I have the privilege to work in this place, I'll work very hard to deliver the full tranche of reforms needed to secure a nature-positive Australia.

Debate adjourned.

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