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

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Birmingham. In December last year, the Prime Minister made an unprecedented announcement of the Commonwealth's intention to refuse the application by Asset Energy to drill for oil and gas under petroleum exploration permit 11 off the coast of Sydney and Newcastle. Reading directly from the PM's statement, on the day he said:

This project will not proceed on our watch … this is not the right project for these communities and pristine beaches and waters.

Strong statements were also made on the day by six Liberal MPs on the need to respect community wishes, protect our environment and not put our coastlines at risk.

Minister, you would be aware that other communities are fighting against proposals for oil and gas drilling off their coasts, including King Island in Tasmania, off the Twelve Apostles in the Otway Basin in Victoria, Senator Thorpe's own Gunditjmara country and off the Ningaloo Reef in the Carnarvon Basin. Many of these people don't feel these are the right projects for their communities. Will you also make a political intervention to protect these communities and their environments? If not, how is that not utterly hypocritical?