Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I note, from conversation with my colleague Senator Stephens, that not one government senator is going to speak in support of this bill. That must say a heck of a lot. I rise to make a few brief comments about the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2006. I find much of the explanatory information provided by the government in respect of this bill quite intriguing. The bill’s explanatory memorandum does nothing more than reinforce this government’s track record of spin and misinformation when it comes to the way it governs this country.

The Howard government’s self-serving rhetoric has no bounds. It has become the hallmark of this increasingly lazy, arrogant and corrupt government. In evidence of this statement, I cite the minister responsible for the carriage of this bill. Unfortunately, this snide and arrogant minister has shown no compunction in trashing the environmental health interests of the public when it suits him to do so. The proposed amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, as contained in this amending bill, are clearly designed to pave the way for this government to further legitimise its standover tactics where the environmental concerns of local communities are concerned.

If any proof is needed of the minister’s total disregard for local communities who have sought the minister’s help to ensure that they and their children are not exposed to toxic industry outputs, one has only to look at the minister’s role in supporting the location of a new high-volume brickworks on Commonwealth land at Perth Airport adjacent to residential areas. A real measure of the minister’s arrogance and disregard for community concerns was demonstrated at a recent Senate estimates committee meeting where he claimed, without any prompting and with obvious glee, that the government’s decision to approve the BGC Brickworks at Perth Airport was a non-controversial decision. And I suppose he had to, because on Monday, in question time, in answer to a question by Senator Carr on nuclear power, Minister for the Environment and Heritage Ian Campbell talked about:

… Senator Carr’s comrades, who want to ensure that you roll over local communities and put wind farms where they do not want them.

The only way that Minister Campbell could possibly not think himself shameless would be if, in spite of the 5,000 signatures on the petition opposing the brickworks and the nine times—count them—the local Liberal member for Hasluck, Mr Stuart Henry, got to his feet in the other place to oppose them, he were to believe that the decision to approve the brickworks was actually non-controversial.