Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Cox for the question about the offshore gas safety legislation. We've certainly, I think, had feedback from a whole range of organisations, including environmental organisations and First Nations groups, along with the industry, who have told the government that our system of consultation is not working, which is why we are developing those amendments to the legislation. There will be further amendments, as I understand it, that will be moved in the House. We need to make sure that those regulatory changes will be consistent with our national environmental laws.

I think this is probably a question better asked of the Minister for Resources rather than the Minister for Indigenous Australians. But we are aware, certainly in the consultations around this bill, of feedback from First Nations groups, and ministers, including the Minister for Resources, Minister King, have been doing the consultations around that legislation. So my advice is that there will be no changes to rigorous environmental assessments, no environmental standards will be watered down and there will be no fast track for offshore projects, but this bill will allow some reform to improve the safety of offshore gas workers and to fix the broken community consultation process on offshore projects where we have had feedback from those numerous stakeholders, including First Nations groups.