Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Last year, when asked about the proposed giant gas-drilling project off the New South Wales coast you said:

Absolutely, we will stop PEP-11 going ahead, full stop. Exclamation mark. No question. Not equivocal. No ifs, no buts.

Prime Minister, can you now guarantee you will stop this vandalism off New South Wales's beautiful coastline?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't know if the member has actually followed the court case that has just happened, because the court case that has just happened has shown that the issue there was that the minister who was due to make the decision, the now member for Hinkler, was usurped by the appointment by the Prime Minister as the minister in order to make a decision over the top of the known minister, in order to make a different decision—because the minister for resources that we all knew about was going to make a different decision from the secret minister for resources. That is what has occurred there. There has been legal action to ensure that the decision be made in accordance with the law. This government will make decisions in accordance with the law, and that means that the one Minister for Resources that this government has—who you all know about—will make a decision, on its merits, as the law requires. To do otherwise is to ensure there will be another court case. We will follow the law as it is designated, which gives the responsibility to make this decision to the Minister for Resources.