David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water. It's now more than a month since Regis Resources confirmed the Blayney goldmine, a $1 billion investment with some 800 regional jobs, was no longer viable due to the minister's section 10 decision. Last month, the minister promised in question time, and I quote: 'I've made it clear to the company that they'll get a statement of reasons.' Has the minister provided a statement of reasons to Regis? If not, what's the government hiding?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for the question and thank you for raising this important issue again. I'm very confident that I made the right decision. I've just finished looking at the statement of reasons. It should be with the company very shortly—this week, certainly.

It's interesting that the deputy leader of the Liberals should be interjecting. I made the decision based on advice from the same group that she based a decision in Bathurst on. It was the same group of people, for the same reasons, under the same—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Solomon is warned. I can appreciate the Deputy Leader of the Opposition may have strong views on this, but to continue a conversation while the minister is answering a question is highly disorderly. For the remainder of this answer, to assist the House and to assist me to listen to the minister, I'm going to invite the deputy leader to not interject anymore.

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I made a decision that a mining company can't build a tailings dam on the headwaters and springs of the Belubula River, because it is culturally significant to First Nations people in the area. I'd remind the Leader of the Nationals that I haven't blocked the mine. I've blocked the building of the tailings dam. The company themselves have said that they have investigated alternative sites for that tailings dam. I have protected 16 per cent of the 2½ thousand hectares of the site that the company owns. I'd also note that both the chair and the CEO have bought extra shares in the company since I made my decision and that the share value of the company substantially increased after I made my decision.

The only thing I would leave those opposite with is that they've said that they would approve this project without ever—

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yep

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'Yep,' says the Leader of the Nationals. He's never looked at the information from the traditional owners. He hasn't read a page of the 2½ thousand pages of documents that I have examined. He hasn't received any information from any expert. That's how we got robodebt. That's how we got sports rorts. That's how we got car park rorts. It's picking friends and picking winners without any evidence, without any examination of the facts.