Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I am disappointed to hear the minister rule out a royal commission, since the assessment process was a joint Commonwealth-Tasmanian process and therefore the Commonwealth was involved. I ask the Prime Minister through Senator Minchin whether the Commonwealth was informed by Premier Lennon that he intended to legislate to shorten the process before the Stock Exchange was informed by Gunns. Further, I ask: will the government now guarantee that the new Commonwealth assessment process will be a public inquiry and will it consider the impacts on listed threatened species as is required under the EPBC Act? I would really like to know to what extent the Commonwealth was involved if it is so quick to rule out a royal commission into collusion.