Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That business of the Senate notices of motion Nos 1 to 5, standing in the names of Senators Pratt and Whish-Wilson for today, be called on immediately, dealt with together and take precedence over all general and government business until determined.

Today the Senate gets to reward or reject this government's five-year systematic campaign to undermine marine protections in Australia, a five-year systematic campaign that started with Mr Tony Abbott, in opposition, saying that, if elected, the Liberal government would review and rip up Labor and Greens plans to put in place one of the largest sets of marine protection parks and areas not just in Australia's history but in international history. What we're debating here today is momentous, and I thank the Senate for allowing us to have the time to properly debate this disallowance motion.

Senators can reward Mr Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party, who are in this place representing the big end of the fishing industry and the oil and gas industry. They can reward the big donors to the Liberal Party. We know that, around the last election, Senator Ruston, the South Australian Liberal Party and the federal Liberal Party received the biggest election donation from the tuna industry that they had ever received. We know that they're in this place—as they are on so many things—representing the interests of a few vested interests. It has been a five-year campaign to undermine marine parks that took 20 years to put together, with thousands of stakeholders. I say this to the crossbench senators and to all senators in this place: you can reward or reject this deliberate attempt, on the behalf of a few vested interests, to undermine marine protections, at a time in history when they are most needed. Our oceans face 'their greatest threat in history'—that's not my quote; that's Mr David Attenborough's quote. They face their greatest threat in history from overfishing, pollution, warming waters and ocean acidification, and from plastic pollution. One thing we know for certain is that marine parks and marine protections work.

Would you take the word, Senators, of the 1,400 scientists who signed a petition calling on you to reject these plans? Would you take the word of 1,400 scientists and the hundreds of thousands of Australians who've campaigned for you to not support the government today and to support this disallowance? Would you take their word, or would you take the word of Mr Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party, and the big end of the fishing industry, and the oil and gas industry? You have a choice, a clear choice, to make today. You can stand up for the oceans, or you can stand up for Mr Tony Abbott. That is your choice here today.

I'm sorry if I'm passionate and loud on this. I have campaigned relentlessly since I've come into this place on every aspect of healthy oceans that is necessary. Today, we can decide whether we reward or reject a colossal, disgraceful attempt to reduce marine protections.

A little bit of history. The 2012 plans that were put in place took two decades of consultation. It's no secret that many in the environment movement weren't happy with those 2012 plans, but, after 20 years of campaigning, they agreed to put those plans in place—those lines on the map. Unfortunately, the operating permits—the management plans—didn't kick in for a couple of years. By that time—as he's done with so much of his time in parliament—the human wrecking ball, Mr Tony Abbott, and the Liberal Party had done what they did to climate action and so many other things in this place, and started a new process—a process to undermine the plans put in place to protect our oceans.

Our oceans are the womb of all life on this planet. They are facing their greatest threat in history. Sadly, I don't have time today to go into all the science and all the details, but I will refer anyone listening to this debate to this month's version of TheMonthly. There's an excellent article—