Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Ian Campbell, the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, and relates to the endangered spotted handfish—a small, colourful fish that more commonly walks on its fins rather than swims—of which there are fewer than 1,000 adult fish remaining in the wild. In view of the threat outlined in the Commonwealth’s own recovery plan—namely siltation of key estuaries caused by land clearing and coastal development, particularly those that involve dredging—will he inform the Walker Corporation, proponents of a canal development, a controlled action, at Ralphs Bay in Tasmania, that the Commonwealth will rule out any dredging at the proposed site, consistent with the recovery plan and the Derwent Estuary Water Quality Improvement Plan for Heavy Metals?

Ian Campbell (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With all of these assessments for projects, the relevant authorities that are making the assessments should be allowed to go through proper process. As I understand it, it is in fact a controlled action, as Senator Milne has indicated, and it is currently being reviewed and assessed by my department under the appropriate provisions of the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. I will await the advice of my department. To all interested Tasmanians—and, in fact, all interested Australians—I undertake to thoroughly read my department’s advice and make an informed decision once I have done so.

Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask a supplementary question, Mr President. I note that there is no implementation schedule for the recovery plan for the spotted handfish. Has he been lobbied by former environment minister, Graham Richardson, or any other lobbyist for the proponents? If so, what advice has the minister given the proponents regarding any action he intends to take with regard to the spotted handfish? If he has not been lobbied by Graham Richardson, or any other lobbyist, will he now proactively inform the proponents that any development at Ralphs Bay that poses a threat to the endangered spotted handfish or results in the disturbance of heavy metal-laden sediments will not be approved?

Ian Campbell (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think it would be a perversion of a well-understood process under one of the world’s most respected environment laws—the federal EPBC Act—for me, without reading the report or any of the scientific assessments, to go off and inform a proponent, either via a lobbyist like Mr Richardson or anyone else. I do not believe I have had any contact from Richo, but I am quite happy if he does contact me. I think he used to sit around here in the chamber, didn’t he? I do not believe I have had contact, but I would be happy to talk to him or anyone else. I am happy to engage with people. For me to proactively—to use the senator’s word—go off and tell people and pre-empt an assessment process would be wrong and I will not do it. The government has a superb record in relation to recovery plans for threatened species—a record for all the world to see. We are spending tens of millions of dollars on recovery plans for a range of threatened species. We will of course look very carefully at the assessment when we receive it.