Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I go back again to this contention that it is duplicative, that protection for water from coal and coal seam gas is somehow the same as protection for water from silver, gold, lead and zinc mining. I cannot understand why it is so difficult for you both to accept that these laws do different things. That is why we are proposing that you keep the Water Act section that protects groundwater in the Murray-Darling from lead, copper, zinc and gold mining. That is different to coal seam gas and coalmining. Please, can somebody articulate that you realise that those minerals and commodities are different and that you just seek to weaken protection for groundwater in the Murray-Darling Basin. At least then you would be being honest about what you are seeking to do here.