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

I move:

That the Senate supports the boundary extension for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area as proposed to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Committee for consideration in 2013.

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coalition does not support this motion, because it does not support the nomination to the World Heritage Committee process because of the absurd, fraudulent process through which this nomination has been made. That is demonstrated by the fact that this comes out of a so-called 'peace deal' that has been going through a process in Tasmania over the last two and a half years. Even in that process, the signatories thought that there were going to be 123,000 hectares nominated; there were 170,000 hectares nominated. The Legislative Council were told last Friday morning that there was a doubt as to whether the nomination would be made, and yet they were told in evidence yesterday that it was always going to be made. Tony Burke was always going to make this nomination regardless of whether the deal had gone through the Tasmanian parliament or not—it still has not. So the opposition does not support this motion, because it does not support the fraudulent process that put it in place in the first place.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Milne be agreed to.