Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Madam Acting Deputy President Polley, it's great to be back and great to see you in the chair. Today I want to take the brief opportunity that I have to speak about the environment. It is something that is centrally important to the future of this nation and to the capacity of many parts of our economy to function and it is something we all treasure. Despite some of the rhetoric that we often hear in this place, it is something we all regard at the highest level and with extreme importance, and to that end I think that there is a chance, now that the parliament has returned and as each party and individual senator in this place forms their views on the best way forward when it comes to policy, to draw breath, examine facts and find a way forward that is actually in the interests of the community we represent.

We have a new government and it is time for that government to start telling us what it is it intends to do. We heard from the minister for the environment, Tanya Plibersek, when she released the Australia State of the Environment 2021 report, what the government would do, outlining the new government's plans in the environment portfolio. Some of those elements of the announcement were announced during the election campaign, and I'll come to those in moment, but there were a range that weren't part of the pre-election announcements.

Just on that, I want to touch on the state of the environment report. I have had the opportunity to read the 270-page overview cover to cover to understand exactly what the about 30 contributing authors, I think it was, had to say, and there are some very important points in there. I should also indicate it is the first of many speeches I'm going to be giving on this particular report and what it means and how we should respond. But, as I said before, what the government does in response to this report or any other report that it receives is where the rubber hits the road on what is important for the Australian community.

Reports are something that a government takes by way of advice; the decision-making function is that of government. Any decision that the minister and the government make should be commensurate with the issue they are dealing with. If it's a problem they need to solve or if it is a pathway they need to beat in order to create economic growth or some other opportunity for a part of our community, the policy decision taken and all the supports in and around it should be commensurate with the issue they are dealing with. That is an important point when it comes to the Australian government's response to the state of the environment report, and one I will continue to underscore.

Being commensurate, balanced and reasonable is central to good outcomes. We know that the environment is fragile and requires care. We also know that our economy is fragile. The statistics that are at hand—the announcement today around inflation—does make that very, very clear. We are in perilous times when it comes to our global economy—things that are well beyond our control—and the decisions that are made here by this government, and indeed by overseas governments, will have an impact on that. And when it comes to the environment, decisions made in the sphere of environmental policy have far-reaching impacts. That is something the government needs to consider and the minister needs to consider as she brings forward policies for consideration.

I was listening to the tail end of Senator Pocock's contribution earlier. He paid tribute to and acknowledged, I think quite rightly, some of our best land managers—farmers—and the role they play as custodians of the land that they live and work on, because they rely on it. So, on that basis, it is important to remember, when a government makes decisions around land management and environmental policy, that land users don't seek to trash the land. They know they will rely on it into the future, be they farmers, foresters or any other users. We need to make sure that we take into account that these people realise they are reliant on this resource.

It is on that point, farming, that I have a range of questions around the new government's policies in the environment space. One that was foreshadowed or flagged at the state of the environment report release address that the minister gave last week is around the national estate, the 30 per cent of land and sea that will be set aside as the national estate. Now, I do wonder how as a country we will be able to, in a sense, lock up 30 per cent of our landmass without impacting on our farmers. It is those sorts of questions, that sort of certainty, we need to work with those custodians of our land, not to attack them and make their lives harder. They are good custodians; we should respect them. (Time expired)