Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to support Senator Colbeck's bill, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Bioregional Plans) Bill 2011. In so doing, I ask myself why those opposite are so against this legislation. Why are they opposed to greater scrutiny of marine bioregional plans and the declaration of marine parks in Commonwealth waters?

Senator Colbeck's bill, which proposes an amendment to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, will make bioregional plans disallowable instru­ments. The reason we are here debating this today is in direct response to what has been another bungle by the Australian Labor Party, this time in relation to the marine bioregional planning process to date.

Why should this surprise us? This government has had a litany of bungles. We have seen the pink batts—they cannot put fluffy stuff in people's roofs without people dying as a consequence. We have seen the bungling of the Julia Gillard memorial halls. Health has been one unmitigated disaster after another, which I have—