Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move an amendment to the amendment moved by Senator Chisholm:

Omit "not be referred to a committee", substitute "be referred immediately to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 6 November 2023".

I will just speak briefly to that amendment. We all know what's going to happen here, and that is that the major parties are going to collude to prevent the Senate from running an inquiry into the Australian Greens' bill to end native forest logging in Australia. And why are they going to do that? Because they're captive to the native forest logging industry. Why else are they going to do that? Because they don't want Australians to have a chance to discuss and contribute to a conversation about the fact that native forest logging has completely lost its social licence. Why else are they going to do that? Because they don't want to have a conversation in this country about the massive carbon bomb that is native forest logging. Why else do they not want to do that? Because they don't want to talk about the fact that native forest logging is driving species like the beautiful little swift parrot into extinction.

Let's be really clear about this. Native forest logging has no social licence. Native forest logging is a crime against nature. It is a crime against climate. Native forest logging is driving species to extinction. Native forest logging is a mendicant burden on the public purse. If you withdrew the public subsidies to the native forest logging industry, it would collapse tomorrow! It can't survive without the never-ending largesse from the Labor and Liberal parties. That is why the Labor and Liberal parties are going to collude to prevent the Greens' bill to end native forest logging going to a Senate inquiry, make no mistake.