Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Off the back of the Voice referendum and two historic court cases about inadequate consultation with First Nations people on offshore projects, the first action the government is taking in the First Nations space is to silence their voices. Schedule 2 part 2 of the amendment proposed for the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Legislation Amendment (Safety and Other Measures) Bill 2024 threatens to sideline the environment minister, to bypass environmental approvals and First Nations consultation, which would otherwise be required by the EPBC Act, in order to facilitate new oil, coal and gas approvals, in particular offshore oil and gas.

This schedule would mean that any action that is approved under the offshore petroleum regime, including any offshore environmental management regime, is taken to be within the scope of EPBC Act accreditation. In other words, there is no need to get fresh environmental accreditation. That offshore gas environmental regime is taken to be accredited, no matter what changes this or future governments might make. This is a total carveout for offshore oil and gas from our environmental laws, and it gives the resources minister the power to be the sole arbiter of environmental management. Yet we hear the protestations from the government: 'That isn't at all what they are intending.' Well, don't write laws that do what you don't want them to do. Fix it. If that's not your intention, fix it.

This amendment, as written, would trash our environmental laws. It makes a mockery of consultation, with its explicit aim of fast-tracking climate-wrecking oil and gas projects. We know that gas is as dirty as coal and that pollution from gas corporations is rising, pushing a safe climate out of reach. The last thing we need is a loophole for gas giants like Santos, who are pretty cranky that the government worked with the Greens on the Safeguard Mechanism to make it harder for them to open new gas mines.

It is well beyond the time for truth and treaty in this country, yet we've seen the government vacate this space completely. First Nations people have been standing up for their right to be heard and consulted with. They've taken these gas giants to court and they've won. Now Santos wants the government to change the rules to favour those gas companies, and the government is delivering for Santos and the gas companies yet again. This is the same government that said on election night that it was committed to the Uluru statement and that it was committing to strengthening environmental laws. What a massive election promise breach that is, because they're now working with the climate deniers in the Liberals to carve out gas projects from environmental and cultural heritage laws.

You are breaking an election promise by working with the Liberals, and you are silencing the voices of First Nations people for the sake of offshore gas. For shame! (Time expired)