Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make some short comments on the amendment from my colleague Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. I associate myself with the comments made by my colleagues. This government is doing what it does best: hiding from scrutiny, avoiding transparency, making decisions behind closed doors. We know that this legislation is ecocide. We know that you are environmental vandals. That's pretty clear. All you see nature is is as a commodity to use and abuse. Why? For the benefit of those corporations who line your pockets so that you can come back in here and do the same thing all over again: destroy the environment.

This inquiry is about putting you, putting your government and putting this bill through a fine toothcomb, because the public deserve this. It is about the public knowing what you actually want to do, what your agenda is, and that is to destroy the environment. That's why this inquiry is important. Yes, we have known for years that you want to destroy it. You're vandals. This is ecocide. But the public doesn't know this and that's why this inquiry is so important.

Why won't you let the Senate do its job? You are stopping us from doing our job. Our job is to look at bills. What are you afraid of? If you're so confident that this bill is so great then let us put it through scrutiny. That's right: you don't have to be part of the inquiry if you don't want to be. You can stay home, but we want this bill to be looked into whether you want it or not. Yes, we will fight this bill tooth and nail no matter whether the inquiry goes on or not, because this is about the future of our people in Australia and across the world. This is about the future of the planet. We want to preserve and enhance the future for the generations to come and for the inherent value that the environment has.