Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

That's very interesting. I appreciate the honesty. This minister may not be aware that the environment minister's office had given undertakings to third parties that they would. Here we have just one example of how badly this government has managed this piece of legislation; how appallingly the environment minister has treated the environment sector and those concerns about this issue. For months and months the environment minister's office has been telling environmental groups, community interested organisations and stakeholders that she was busy convincing her colleagues that this bill required amendment. How is anyone meant to believe what comes out of that minister's office from here on in?

I've got a raft of other issues which I think it would be helpful to have some clarity on as to whether there was any work done by the minister's office or the department in relation to fixing up and improving this piece of legislation. Could the minister please inform the Senate what, if any, amendments were being considered by the department or the minister's office to deal with the concerns raised by civil society and interested stakeholders?