Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have previously spoken about the priority in Victoria for water recycling from the Gunnamatta outfall. At present 150 billion litres of waste water is discharged off our coast every year. That is 340 to 350 million litres every day. I have said that recycling should be the priority ahead of desalination. There may be a place for desalination—there are examples around Australia—but in Victoria we need to clean up our coast, recycle that water and end that waste first. Against that background, it is deeply concerning that what we have seen in relation to the opponents of the desalination plant near Wonthaggi, at Kilcunda, is a ruthless attempt to suppress their capacity to maintain their opposition. In particular I refer to the fact that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts has pursued Your Water Your Say, a local community group, for costs through the courts. This group is now facing bankruptcy. Reports are that they are likely to face costs of $200,000 or more for putting up a challenge through the EPBC Act or the relevant federal environment act and taking that through the courts and that they have now had an award of costs against them.

This is a group which had one solicitor on its side, against a barrage of QCs, juniors and solicitors paid for by the government. The government had an award of costs for every dollar and has sought to reclaim every dollar. This is a David and Goliath battle where Goliath has wheeled out the club and is threatening to bankrupt ordinary citizens—who had the right to express their views, who had the right to take this matter through the courts, who have been treated with utter disdain and who now face the prospect of collective and potentially individual financial ruin.

This is not the way we do things in Australia in relation to honest protest. It is a dangerous precedent. It is one which is extreme in its measures. It is unfair. It is unjust. It is an attempt not just to defeat people—the government has the right to challenge and to represent its views—but to bring protesters to their knees and to do so in a way which destroys their livelihoods and puts at risk their capacity to maintain and protect their families. I call on the Minister for the Environment and Heritage to show some sense, reverse this position and release the call for costs. (Time expired)