Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

I am not sure I can assist the good senator much further. Minister Garrett, as I have indicated in this chamber on a number of occasions, under the EPBC Act has a decision-making power that is circumscribed by that statute. He is required to discharge his responsibilities under that law according to law and to his best judgement. For the reasons I have outlined, he has determined under that act that the application that the senator refers to ought not to be accepted, and that is on the basis of the issues that I have referred to in my response. So, whilst I accept that the senator reflects the concern of some members of his constituency on this, the minister obviously, in the context of the EPBC Act, has to have regard to the matters of national environmental significance. (Time expired)