Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have a question for the minister, in relation to section 24. Minister, it is the strong wish of the community that the trust lands remain in the hands of the Commonwealth. The government has committed to this, yet you are not amending section 24 of the act, which allows for the transfer of the trust lands to New South Wales or to an affected council. Could you please clarify why section 24 remains in the act and what protections the government gives in relation to this section being used at a later date, against the community's wishes, to transfer trust lands?

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Warringah for her question and assure her that the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Amendment Bill is faithful to the independent review but also to the wishes of the community. The independent review recommended that section 24 be retained. Recommendation 2 said:

The Harbour Trust sites should remain in public hands. Existing protections to achieve this, such as s. 24 of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Act 2001, should be maintained.

The whole purpose of these amendments is to ensure that sites remain under Commonwealth protection and that the trust is an ongoing entity. Specifically, this bill removes from the original preamble the phrase 'as a transitional body' and the sentence 'The trust will transfer suitable land to New South Wales for inclusion in the national parks and reserves system.' I also draw the member's attention to my second reading speech on this bill, where I said:

The independent review affirmed the community's strong support for these important sites to remain in federal government hands, managed by the trust on an ongoing basis.

The government agrees with this proposition, and so the bill will ensure the sites remain in the hands of the trust into the future.

We have consulted closely with the community on these important amendments, including those in the member's electorate, and I thank her for her own representations. I would particularly like to thank the Headland Preservation Group for their endorsement of this bill. When this legislation was introduced, the group said: 'Bearing in mind the great gains that have been made for the protection of trust lands, HPG wishes to support the amendment bill in its current form. HPG hopes for the passage of the amendment bill through parliament in a timely fashion, whereupon the trust is empowered to continue the nationally important works with which it has been entrusted.'

The Morrison government has made it clear that it intends for the sites to stay in the hands of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust—by moving to make the harbour trust an ongoing entity, by tasking the harbour trust with refreshing the vision for Cockatoo Island and North Head Sanctuary and by investing $60 million in the harbour trust in our last budget.

Bill agreed to.