Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Water Resources and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

I concur with my colleagues and indicate the broad coalition support for this amendment. The remarks made by my colleagues go right to the heart of this issue. It is about a study to be undertaken on due diligence. Senator Bob Brown said that it is simply good country common sense, which I think encapsulates the intent of the amendment completely. What we are seeing here is a very sensible, measured approach to ensuring that the operations of mining in rural areas do not impact in an untoward fashion on the water system. It is interesting to see that the mover of this amendment in the House was not able to get Labor’s support in the House. Perhaps in the Senate the minister might be rather more agreeable to what is a very sensible, very pragmatic and very good amendment.