Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A letter has been received from Senator David Pocock:

Pursuant to standing order 75, I propose that the following matter of public importance be submitted to the Senate for discussion:

Noting the open letter to the Prime Minister from almost 2,300 health professionals raising concerns about the health impacts of the Middle Arm development, the Senate accepts the need to further scrutinise the development by way of a Senate committee inquiry.

Is the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

I understand that times have been organised.

David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We've recently seen almost 2,300 medical professionals write an open letter to the Prime Minister of Australia raising concerns about a project that is receiving $1.5 billion of taxpayer money. These are people who work on the front line in communities across the country, seeing people who need care and support and who at times are in life and death situations. They live by the principle of doing no harm, and what they are asking the government to do is to think about that and to commit to doing no harm when it comes to public funding for Middle Arm.

These doctors and a number of scientists who have spent years—some have spent decades—looking at the health impacts on communities living next to precincts such as Middle Arm tell us that the health risks are significant. People living near oil and gas operations experience higher hospitalisation rates for heart disease and respiratory disease; higher hospitalisation rates for neurological disorders and existing asthma conditions; increases in some childhood cancers, particularly leukaemia; increases in immune deficiency disorders; and reduced life expectancy.

A new petrochemical hub will put further strain on the already struggling Northern Territory health system. We've heard that directly from people working in the hospitals in Darwin, from paediatricians who are struggling to keep up with demand. Territorians experience the highest rates of chronic diseases in the country. This is a huge burden on the health system, and $1.5 billion of public money will enable projects that we know will make that burden worse. It seems negligent to add health impacts of petrochemical production to our health system that is already under acute, enduring stress. And it gets worse when we talk about Middle Arm. We'll hear from the government that this is not just gas, but we know that it does unlock the Beetaloo. It unlocks Barossa. They are two enormous gas deposits.

The impacts of Middle Arm on our climate are huge. We know the centrepiece of the Middle Arm precinct is a 6.6-million-tonnes-per-annum LNG export facility operated by Tamboran, the same company that plans to frack the Beetaloo basin. We know that it will unlock huge quantities of gas for export. This is being enabled by taxpayer funding.

This sort of spending is against the backdrop of almost 2,300 doctors raising their concerns and scientists who have studied this saying that this will lead to increased leukaemia rates in children—up to 30 per cent. The health impact assessment of people living in the Beetaloo basin says it'll likely have all of these adverse effects, but the populations are low, so we may never know. This is what this government's committed to, and the Senate should have the opportunity to look into this further, to provide more scrutiny and to examine the claims that have been made for and against this proposed development. There is no good excuse for the government to continue to vote against an inquiry, to continue to vote against more Senate scrutiny of $1.5 billion that will have real health and climate impacts.

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government will not be supporting this proposal from Senator Pocock today. I note that the Senate considered basically the same question yesterday in a motion from Senator Hanson-Young. As Senator Pocock would know, the Senate opposed the establishment of an inquiry into this matter yesterday. Bringing the same question into the Senate not even 24 hours later is disappointing. It's an attempt by Senator Pocock to play politics on this issue and actually just delays the consideration of important legislation that is before the Senate this afternoon.

Prior to the election last year, we made a commitment that an Albanese Labor government would invest $1.5 billion into the Middle Arm precinct and an additional $440 million into regional logistics hubs along key transport links that connect to Darwin at Katherine, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. Our commitment to this investment was clear, and we intend to deliver it.

I have twice this year visited Alice Springs and Darwin and I know firsthand how excited those communities are about the potential jobs that can be created through these investments. They understand that, for the Territory to become a thriving and consistent economic success story, you need to develop new industry. They don't want to be reliant on government funding, as they are now. They actually want the Northern Territory to become an attractive place for people to come live, stay, work and build long-term careers for themselves and their children. These investments are about creating economic opportunity and diversifying the economy, and that will be felt throughout the Northern Territory—not only in Darwin, where the Middle Arm precinct is, but also throughout the regional communities. For me, that is the exciting part, because there are really exciting opportunities in that part of the world. I was in Tennant Creek a couple of months ago and I met with people there who are excited about the potential of renewable energy and what it can provide and also about the support that can be made through Middle Arm as well.

So it is very clear to me that this investment will be one that creates good economic opportunity for the Northern Territory. It creates jobs of the future for the Northern Territory and it's part of an Albanese government's vision for the Northern Territory. We know that it can play a significant role in the net zero economy of the future. That's what this Middle Arm project is all about. That's what it will deliver for the Northern Territory. That's why we are proud to be a government that is supporting it.

It's also important, though, that we set the right parameters for those investing in infrastructure. That will support businesses and give all potential users in the market the opportunity to grow and thrive. The proposed projects linked to Middle Arm include the development of a hydrogen facility using solar energy to produce green hydrogen and critical minerals. Processing that will support the manufacture and export of lithium batteries. This investment will pave the way for Middle Arm to be a globally competitive and sustainable precinct and provide significant economic benefits and sustainable jobs. These projects are estimated to create 20,000 jobs in the Northern Territory—jobs of the future, in long-term, sustainable industries, and jobs that people can rely on to build a long-term future for themselves and their families.

As I mentioned before, this investment will also help drive Australia's future net zero economy by supporting industries to export clean energy that is critical to meeting our net zero commitments—not just green hydrogen but also the manufacture and export of lithium batteries that are critical to global energy transition and decarbonisation.

The last time I was in Darwin, a couple of weeks ago, I went and spoke at the Northern Australia conference. There was a significant focus at that conference in Darwin on the opportunity that renewable energy will provide for northern Australia and, in particular, the Northern Territory. It is clear to me that the direction of the federal government, our aims to meet net zero in this country and the work that we are doing will work so well with the opportunities that are available for us in northern Australia. So it is a good investment that the government is making. It is one that we are absolutely determined to deliver on. We are proud to partner with the Northern Territory government because we know that, for all of the country to benefit, we need jobs in the far north as well. That is what the Albanese government is so passionate about. We want these jobs spread around the country, creating new economic opportunity and providing the jobs of the future. The Northern Territory need those jobs, as do all other states and territories around the country, and we are proud to be a government that is supporting them.

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note this motion calls for a Senate inquiry into the Middle Arm development. I think it's important, though, that the Senate notes that there was just a Senate inquiry into these matters. There was an inquiry into the development of the Beetaloo Basin and the Middle Arm project, which did begin in the previous parliament and did not finish until we came back after the election. There were some subsequent public hearings in that committee after the last election. So I'm just not sure that there needs to be another Senate committee so soon into this. It's also, more broadly, a development that has been looked at so many times by both the Northern Territory government and the federal government. At one stage, there were six separate Northern Territory government inquiries over seven years into the Beetaloo Basin and the associated development of the Darwin port. There was a moratorium for a number of years through that process. All of those inquiries came back and said, 'Yes, this gas development and the development of Darwin Port can occur safely while we protect the environment.' There were a number of regulatory changes made in light of those inquiries. The most recent one was the Pepper inquiry. I think it's just about time now that we let the Northern Territory government—and the federal government, with their support—get on with the job, given how many inquiries have been done.

Clearly, the mover of this motion, Senator Pocock, does not support the development. I might get some time to say why I disagree with his judgement, but I would also note from the start that we perhaps should look at what the Northern Territory people want for this development. I know Senator Pocock's a very strong defender of Territory rights. As I said, there have been a number of reviews by the Northern Territory government. There have been a number of elections where this issue has been fought over and been an element of controversy. Time and time again, the Northern Territory people have elected governments in the Northern Territory that support the development of the Beetaloo Basin and the development of Middle Arm. So we should ultimately, at some point, respect that. I realise Senator Pocock has got questions. Others have got questions about the investment from the federal government in this development—the $1½ billion supported by both the coalition and the Labor Party. However, we do invest in different states and territories all the time. We've invested billions in the ACT light rail system, for example, here. I believe the ACT government's probably coming back for more for its extension as well. So, if it's good enough for us to invest billions in ACT infrastructure, surely it is good enough to make some investments for Darwin as well.

That brings me to why this investment is needed and why we should do this, not just for our nation but also, especially, for the Territory. I've spent a lot of time in Darwin over the course of my career in the Senate. I was the Minister for Northern Australia for a number of years. It's a wonderful place with beautiful people. It's kind of in the right place at the right time—or it should be. If we take the opportunities, it's in the right place at the right time. It's an Asia facing port, with massive demand coming out of that region. It's the closest location we have to Indonesia—an enormous economy growing very strongly. It has great links with that country and other nations in South-East Asia. We really should be investing in Darwin if we're serious about participating in this Asian century.

The one thing Darwin has lacked over its development, and still lacks, is access to reliable and cheap energy. It hasn't traditionally had a large-scale source of energy, and that has somewhat restricted its development of manufacturing and therefore restricted the development of its port. Without a strong manufacturing sector and a lot of exports, this great natural port has not developed to the extent it possibly could. The Beetaloo basin and other gas developments, the Middle Arm development, offer that opportunity to massively expand the manufacturing industry in Darwin, to help our nation make more things—which is what we should be focused on post-COVID.

I want to say one thing on the development, while I still have time. I am concerned that the government, in its approach here, might unintentionally sabotage this development. I'm not questioning whether Senator Chisholm and his colleagues want this development to happen, but I hear from their language that they don't want to talk about gas or the use of petrochemicals—the development of that industry—because they're worried about the threat from their left wing and the Greens. All I hear now is 'hydrogen'. Hydrogen is unproven. There is no mass, large-scale export of hydrogen anywhere in the world. Maybe it will happen and maybe it will take off, but, if hydrogen doesn't come off and doesn't work, I worry the government's blinded approach to the real opportunities there in gas might mean this whole thing doesn't proceed as it could, when there is so much demand through South-East Asia for petrochemical products. Not just natural gas itself but the products that come from that that make so much of what we use, like glues, plastics—all the COVID stuff, the masks and all that, came from petrochemicals. We should support this development in Darwin. It's great for our nation and it's time to get on with it. (Time expired)

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator David Pocock for bringing this matter of public importance before the Senate today. Indeed, as the government mentioned, it is very similar to a matter of public importance we discussed yesterday. I think it is worth talking about this today, yesterday, tomorrow or ongoing, day after day, because the significance of this development is extraordinary. You listen to the government's greenwash and spin, basically saying: 'This is going to be a wonderful precinct. It's all going to be focused on renewable energy, hydrogen, great jobs.' They don't want to talk about the fact that the Middle Arm development is all about having a conduit and having an industrial precinct to work with the Beetaloo basin, to work with the massive fracking of the Beetaloo and the massive climate bomb that is the Beetaloo basin. That is why this proposal is there to set up this Middle Arm precinct. It is a 1,500-kilometre precinct three kilometres from the outskirts of Darwin involving massive petrochemical development. It is very close to residential areas. I grew up in Altona, next to an oil refinery, and I know the impact of living next to a petrochemical development. But the government are saying, 'No, no, don't you worry about that; this is all about renewable energy.' If the government were serious about that, they could rule out having gas processed at Middle Arm. They could say: 'Yes, this is a renewable energy precinct. We are going to have renewables. We are going to have hydrogen. It might be a precinct that will facilitate the underwater cable to get renewable electricity into South-East Asia.' These are the sorts of things that could be. But we know it is associated with the Beetaloo basin, and the Beetaloo basin is a carbon bomb. It is a massive development. It will result in massive carbon pollution that the world just cannot afford.

I just do not understand what part of the climate crisis this government, along with the Liberal Party and the National Party, don't understand. Don't they understand that a month ago the world had the hottest days that have been experienced on this planet for 100,000 years? Don't they understand the extent of the fires that are currently burning in the Northern Hemisphere, the thousand fires that are currently burning in Canada, primarily on First Nations land? Don't they understand the fact that we have just had record low sea ice extent? We are heading for a disaster. We are in a train travelling at 300 kilometres an hour about to go over a broken bridge. There is catastrophe on its way unless we stop the mining and the burning of coal, gas and oil.

The last thing that Australia needs to be doing, the last thing the world needs, is a massive new fossil fuel development like the Beetaloo basin and for it to be facilitated by $1½ billion of public money. It is just extraordinary. Anybody that listens to the science, anybody that understands the seriousness of the crisis, would say we should not be developing new coal and gas. In fact, we've got the UN Secretary-General telling us that we have got 'global boiling' going on. We have got people who know about the climate crisis pleading with Australia and other countries to not develop new fossil fuel developments, and yet here we've got a government that is blithely ignoring that, taking us on that runaway train heading over a cliff. It is absolutely extraordinary.

This is the reason that we need to keep talking about this. This is the reason that, yes, we do need to have a Senate inquiry into Middle Arm. This inquiry was in fact agreed to by the Labor Party during the separate Senate inquiry into oil and gas exploration and production in the Beetaloo basin. The government agreed to it then. These are the sorts of things that need to be explored in a Senate inquiry, to see why Australia thinks that it can be so far off track and away from the direction that we need to be heading in if we're going to have a safe climate for our kids and a safe climate for us now. It is an extraordinary thing to be proposing, and the Greens will continue to want to talk about it until it is stopped.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to read out a statement by Larrakia man Eric Fejo. It reads:

Hello everyone!

My name is Eric Fejo, I am Larrakia.

I have authorised Senator Lidia Napiljarri Thorpe to read my statement.

I want to thank those people who have supported the Larrakia people and who have supported the protection of Australia's natural and cultural heritage. There are good people who have stuck their necks out to protect Larrakia country and to protect Australia's heritage.

A special shout out to the Knitting Nanas; the Darwin people who have campaigned to protect Lee Point, especially the 11 people arrested at Lee Point for blocking the bulldozers; and the countrymen from north-east Arnhem land who supported Larrakia in protecting Lee Point.

The city of Darwin sits over the traditional country of Larrakia people. Today Larrakia country is under threat by the Federal Government, the Northern Territory Government, and a consortium of private capital.

Against the interests of the Larrakia people, the Federal Government—

the federal Labor government, mind you—

are involved in a housing development on traditional Larrakia land at Lee Point for Defence Housing, and they have partnered with the Northern Territory Government and a private consortium to develop a liquefied gas and petrochemical plant at Middle Arm.

They have not recognised or respected Larrakia people, nor have they protected the natural environment and they have not genuinely engaged with Larrakia people over these developments.

Twenty-two years ago, when I was experiencing some tough challenges in my life, my mother wrote some beautiful words encouraging me to fight and not quit because even though the road is hard, success will come if you stick to the fight.

Our mothers provide nourishment, and they nurture, support, and protect us. Our mothers do so much for us. Our strength comes from our mothers.

Larrakia country also provides nourishment, and it nurtures, protects, and gives me strength. The land is like my mother.

When things get tough I take time out to listen to my country. It re-energizes me, it gives me life.

Larrakia country is a living ecosystem because if you listen closely to country—the sound of the wind, the waves of the ocean, the trees, and the animals—you will hear what the country is saying.

If you hear the country, then you will understand that people and the natural environment are all organic, a living, breathing entity all connected. Every form of life has a worth and a place in the ecosystem.

We, Australians must have an allegiance to the land, its ecosystems, and the culture that runs through the land. Our natural and cultural heritage is the essence of who we are as people. If we continue to destroy our heritage, then we are nobody and we achieve nothing.

My mother is no longer with us, but I hear her words in the struggle to protect Larrakia cultural heritage and Larrakia country. It is a hard road. However, I along with all of you, have a great responsibility and obligation to prevent environmental harm and to protect the rights of country, people and communities.

We must live ecologically responsible and sustainable lives. We must protect the life support systems of the Earth, maintain biodiversity, and preserve our national heritage.

We must prevent toxic or hazardous substances including gases such as carbon dioxide. These gases and toxic substances destroy our land and waters and affect our health and wellbeing.

We must ensure that government and industry prevent the long term and indirect consequences of environmental harm including harm to our culture, health, and wellbeing. They are responsible for the damage to our environment and to our health and wellbeing and we must hold them to account.

Why are governments and industry not able to protect our cultural and natural heritage? Why does Australia still rely on industrial development that destroys cultural and natural heritage? Why can't we create alternative industries that protect the natural environment, the cultural heritage, and the well-being of people?

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of this MPI put forward by Senator David Pocock. It was absolutely shameful to see this government not just once but twice vote down an inquiry into Middle Arm. It begs the question: what have they got to hide? What are they hiding over there?

We know that this is a dirty petrochemical hub. We know that it will be in a place that currently holds ancient petroglyphs and the only known remaining rock art in the Darwin area, and it will put them at risk. We know that it will increase the Northern Territory's carbon emissions, and we know that it will be an export terminal for gas for the Beetaloo and Barossa gas fields. We also know that the government is aware of all of this and is completely ignoring it all. So what else is this government hiding that means it's so scared of the Senate doing its job, given that the Senate is the chamber of scrutiny, after all?

This project does not stack up. It doesn't stack up on the health front; it certainly doesn't stack up on the front of cultural heritage protection; it doesn't stack up on the environmental or climate fronts; and we have some serious doubts that it will, in fact, stack up on the economic front. One point five billion dollars of taxpayer money has been put aside for this project, and the government wants to do this without any scrutiny—that's the laughable joke in this—and so without an opportunity for the Senate to ask any questions to the traditional owners, to the parents, to the doctors or to anybody, in fact, who has issues with Middle Arm.

I met this morning with Australian Parents for Climate Action, who told me of many things that they had heard from politicians in this place and the meetings they'd had that would absolutely turn your hair white. It's the sheer hypocrisy. We expect that from the coalition. For a decade, people have expected that and they became attuned to that. When people come into this place and they talk to other MPs and other politicians who are now in government, who in opposition said things like, 'Oh, yes, of course we'll change that,' and then don't, they are surprised. They are dumbfounded. But guess what? The mirage that the government have built is cracking. They see greenwashing, lies and absolute ignorance. They see a government saying 'the climate wars are over' whilst destroying our cultural heritage and knowingly setting off all of these carbon bombs in our communities. It is absolutely disgraceful.

Senior Larrakia people have said this artwork that exists right in the heart of Darwin is priceless for their mob and should be considered priceless. In fact, it is part of Australia's history, as I said last night in my speech. Both the Northern Territory and federal governments have failed to follow any of the cultural protocols that they claim to have at a state and federal level in regard to consultation with Larrakia people. I said last night when I spoke to the motion to establish this inquiry that Labor again sat alongside the opposition and voted this down, but this is a vital point. We are seeing this happen on the back of the Juukan Gorge disaster. We watched on with absolute shock and heartbreak the images of the sacred sites that were caved in—blown up, in fact—that caused worldwide outrage. Firstly, how could such a tragic event take place? But secondly, how could it be legal for this to be destroyed? I was the member of the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia that did those two reports. The first one was titled Never again and the second one was titled A way forward.

We are in a place where we continue to see examples of industrial development, including my home state of Western Australia and on the Burrup Peninsula, which I have talked about at length, being put at risk by industry and by people saying, 'We are going to have to make a couple of sacrifices.' Are we sacrificing our own children's health because of the economic benefit that they think is going to come from it? Because that is the stage we are at now.

We absolutely need to hear from traditional owners about how this project could impact on cultural heritage, their country, their environment, biodiversity. Again, we will keep talking about this issue and we will keep pursuing it. I thank Senator David Pocock for continuing to listen to those voices that are being brought into this place.