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

My questions is to Senator Conroy, the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment. Can the minister explain why Minister Burke supported handing over environmental approval power from the Commonwealth to the states through the COAG process last year when he knew at that very time that the New South Wales government had not complied with the National Partnership Agreement on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development, requiring New South Wales to consider independent Commonwealth advice on groundwater? Why did he do it when he knew that New South Wales were not even meeting their existing environmental responsibilities?