Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

To associate my comments with Senator Patrick and Senator Hanson-Young, certainly the Labor Party thinks that this legislation, from what we understand of it, is extremely important. The Senate has a very important role to play in scrutiny of legislation. There is absolutely no reason that I can fathom that the government can put before this place to explain why they wouldn't accept a referral. Perhaps we can have a discussion about the dates of referral, if that's the issue, but to have no referral on legislation this significant and this important seems like the government wanting to hide as much information as it can from the Senate before the Senate's in a position to debate this bill. It's an abuse of this Senate's role.

We accept there is some legislation that doesn't require referral to committee and we all work collegially in that regard to ensure the running of government and the smoothness of business on some legislation, but to not have a referral for the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Streamlining Environmental Approvals) Bill 2020 is just outrageous. Work with us. Let's have an inquiry. Let's discuss the dates for that inquiry, if that's your problem, but don't deny the Senate the right to scrutinise, through our committee process, this important piece of legislation.