Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks, Mr President. I think you are onto something, if I could say so, in regard to your suggestion to the senator about the relevancy of her supplementary. But I am happy to take the opportunity to point out that this is a government that, as I emphasised in the first two questions, will meet Australia's climate change targets as we have always supported meeting Australia's climate change targets. We will ensure they are met; whilst at the same time we will uphold every aspect of the legalities and conditions around the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to support and protect Australia's threatened species. We will deliver on both of those aspects, and that is exactly what we were doing.

I appreciate that Senator Waters wants to try to conflate issues around the approval of coal mines and climate change with threatened species protection under the EPBC Act and attempt, as the Greens would have, to say no to every single possible development in Australia. That is not what this government will support. We will support jobs and development while protecting the environment. (Time expired)