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

I think it is very important to recall what Minister Garrett’s role is here. Minister Garrett has a duty, a discretion, under the EPBC Act to make a decision within the parameters of that act and to take into account issues that are properly before him and relevant to that decision. It is not a wide-ranging general discretion about what is good in the world. It is a very clear set of discretions bounded by the provisions of that legislation. Minister Garrett has made very clear that he will be applying his obligations in relation to this decision, and in relation to all decisions he makes under the EPBC Act, in accordance with that discretion and to consider properly the things which are put before him in accordance with the act. Clearly, there is a great amount of interest in this project. (Time expired)