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

I inform the Senate that the President has received the following letter, dated 25/03/2024, from Senator David Pocock:

Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today I propose to move "That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

The Government must substantially increase funding for threatened species in the May budget and introduce comprehensive reform of our national environmental laws in line with the commitment to no new extinctions. The Government initially committed to introducing the reform by mid-2024, and must introduce the package by October 2024.

Is the proposal supported?

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

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

I move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

The Government must substantially increase funding for threatened species in the May budget and introduce comprehensive reform of our national environmental laws in line with the commitment to no new extinctions. The Government initially committed to introducing the reform by mid-2024, and must introduce the package by October 2024.

As we know, Australia is a megadiverse country. We have an incredible array of species and ecosystems unique to this country that have evolved here over millions and millions of years, but we're not doing a great job of protecting that biodiversity. We're not doing a great job of actually living here like we're here for a long time, like we want our kids and our grandkids to be able to see and experience the things that we've all enjoyed. Whether it's your favourite beach and the rockpools and the incredible fish and crabs that are in there, or if it's down at the Murrumbidgee watching platypuses, seeing crayfish and the incredible birds, these are things we have taken for granted. For generations we have taken them for granted and yet we're not doing enough to look after them. We're living like we don't care. We might hear great proclamations about no new extinctions, promises for new environmental laws, but we're not seeing it delivered. Just promising no new extinctions is not delivering it.

We have some of the world's best environmental scientists here in Australia, and a few years ago they actually got together and said, 'What would it take to halt extinction in Australia?' They worked out, back then, it would cost about $1.7 billion a year—in today's money, it's probably about $2 billion or so—yet we're spending an absolute fraction of that on threatened species, and we see no indication that we actually want to put our money where our mouth is and look after this incredible place. We could have laws in place that look after it and we could fund programs that can protect it. We can play a role as a steward to actually hand it over to future generations. We are failing future generations and we are failing this country.

We know the causes of so many of these tragic losses. We are a world leader in extinction, and that's not something we should be proud of. I'd be arguing that we should do everything we can to turn that around. We have a relatively new government that has promised to do that, but we haven't seen them make good on that promise with the requisite legislation or funding that is required.

We're the only developed country that is a deforestation hotspot. We've got to be able to turn that around, surely. Surely, we can move our economy beyond that, beyond building wealth at the expense of nature, building wealth at the expense of the very thing that sustains us. The thing that we often forget in this place is that we're part of nature, and if nature goes down then we're going with her. At this stage there's all the signs we're heading in that direction. We've got scientists begging us to do more, as the people who can actually change these things in Australia. Imagine if we actually had a parliament that wanted to act on this! I would urge my fellow senators, and those in the other place, to take this seriously. Let's be the ones that turn this around.

We've seen the impact that climate change is having on habitat and species across the country, and yet the government still refuses to entertain putting climate into our environmental laws. They don't want a climate trigger. They don't want to actually assess whether or not projects should go ahead based on their impact on the climate. It is just so laughable in 2024—it would be funny if it wasn't so serious. There is so much at stake. The last IPCC report was the last one in this window of action, and I would urge the government to step up and show the courage that's required to actually act for us, for the kids up there in the gallery and for the Australians who aren't born yet. (Time expired)

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Acting Deputy President Polley, it's a delight to be able to spend more time with you, after the weekend, but I do welcome the opportunity to debate the urgency motion put forward by Senator David Pocock, which I commend him for bringing in.

There are some very important elements to what Senator Pocock is drawing to the attention of the Senate and to the Australian community. And while I broadly support the principle of what Senator Pocock has put forward here, there are a couple of issues which I will go into a little bit of detail on, namely the funding component of this motion. That's what I am particularly concerned about. Why don't we start with that? That is an important issue, and I think it is important for governments and for political parties who operate in this place to consider how best that finite resource of taxpayers' funds is used. Supporting our environment, protecting our environment and conserving what is special, beautiful and unique to Australia are critically important. So government funding into programs and projects to do exactly that is essential.

Senator Pocock calls on the government to substantially increase funding for threatened species in this coming budget. I expect that work is well underway on the May budget and the finance minister is probably sitting over there now signing off on the documentation.

Along with the negative gearing changes—you are probably right, Senator Smith. But what concerns me most is something I've observed at Senate estimates. Senator Pocock has been quite forensic in his interrogation of the officials from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, particularly on the funding for threatened species work and work with endangered species and how we protect the environment. There are these nebulous figures thrown about. Every time Senator Pocock asks a question on exactly how much is spent and what we have for it and asks, 'Can you tell us where this is having an impact?' the answers are always vague: 'It's a bit of this; it's a bit of that. We'll take it on notice, Senator.' They go so far as to include administration costs—the reams of paper put into the printer down at the Threatened Species Commissioner's office—as funding toward the protection of endangered species.

This is why I have concern about just handing more money over to a regime which, frankly, isn't well accounted for and, as far as Senator Pocock's questioning at Senate estimates reveals, isn't really hitting the mark. So, until we get better answers about where this money's going, what it's doing and if it's actually having an impact, I don't know that we can just throw good money after bad.

But the more critical point of the motion that Senator Pocock has put down is around the legislation that we were promised. When this government came to office, we were told by the minister for the environment, Ms Plibersek, that we didn't have a minute to spare and that it was critically urgent that we get on reforming our environmental approval laws in this country. In addition to that, she committed to there being zero new extinctions on her watch as environment minister. Well, we're nearly two years in, and there has been a series of smoky-room, locked-door arrangements going on. We've had these so-called consultations with industry, environmental groups and other interested stakeholders—a select group—where, would you believe, some of the most complex law reform is going on in our generation, around something that is critically important, the environment, a public good, and you're not allowed to take your phone, your iPad or your laptop. No electronic devices go into these rooms where hundreds if not thousands of pages of legislation are presented for your consultation. You have to handwrite down the notes that you can in the time allotted to you and hope that you've got everything down right to go back and talk to your members, your associates and the people who work in your industry. What kind of a consultation is that?

The promise was made that we would have legislation in this parliament by the end of last year. We are hurtling towards the two-year mark, and this government hasn't got a skerrick of legislation on the table—not one piece. I hazard a guess that we won't be seeing legislation brought into this parliament before this election. I've a feeling things are so dire in their so-called consultation process that there is no hope of them being able to bring in this major election promise, to have legislation and to reform these laws before the end of this term of parliament.

The big losers out of that, of course, are the environment and, more importantly, or equally importantly, the economy—jobs and people's livelihoods. No certainty. It is another broken promise by this government. While I commend the motion, we won't be supporting it.

Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to stand up here today and speak about the Albanese Labor government's strong commitment to reforming our environmental protection laws and ensuring that Australia's unique biodiversity is protected. The laws are in train. They will be coming to this parliament, Senator Duniam. They will. But this is an extremely complex piece of work, as I think we all know. Those of us who were around the last time that Labor was in government will know that when we started this process there wasn't a great deal of time left before we lost government in 2013. We tried to get some reforms in. We didn't get a lot of support, we didn't get a lot of assistance and it didn't come to fruition. Yes, we do think this is critical and it will come to this parliament.

I thank Senator David Pocock for his genuine interest in this issue and I look forward to continuing to work constructively with him towards this outcome. But, as Senator Pocock would be aware, we did inherit a significantly depleted environment department. Its funds had been slashed and the environmental outlook that was reflected after a decade of neglect and disinterest from the Liberal-National government has made it very difficult to get on top of that neglect and that extraordinarily gutted department, to get the kind of reform that we need. And we do not apologise for having a lengthy consultation, not by any stretch. A lengthy consultation is required because this is complex and we need to recognise people's perspectives and issues on this piece of work. I'll say it again: the legislation is coming to this parliament.

As I said, when we first came to government, Minister Plibersek was faced with quite the wreck left behind, including the buried State of the environment report, which showed us just how terrible the situation was across Australia—worse than many of us had anticipated. Minister Plibersek put that out so people could see exactly what was going on. We have a lot of work to do, and this is not work that is done swiftly. It is work that is done painstakingly. But we do need to get it done. We haven't been dragging our heels here. Our Threatened species action plan:Towards zero extinction is guiding the crucial work that needs to occur. It maps a pathway for species conservation and recovery for the next decade.

We are restoring and protecting our natural spaces and investing over 500 million to better protect the flora and fauna of this country. That includes addressing things such as feral animals, weeds and the situation we are in where we find our native species are being destroyed. It is also projects like restoring koala habitat, tackling invasive pests and supporting the fantastic network of local groups across Australia who do fundamentally important work to help protect our environment. We are also protecting 40 million hectares of Australian ocean and bush and have committed to protecting 30 per cent of our land and sea by 2030. This obviously has a series of connected health and social benefits and will ensure that we preserve the habitat of our native wildlife.

We have legislated our world-first Nature Repair Market, and that again is something that will take some time to get moving. When you are making fundamental reforms, you don't just sign off on a piece of legislation and the next morning everything is automatically fixed. That is not how this works. But we are dedicated and we are committed and we look forward to working with all of those in this chamber to pursue these objectives. Our natural environment, our natural habitat, is critical, not just for the flora and fauna but also for the health and wellbeing of the people of this country. And we do take this very, very seriously. But, as I said, a decade of neglect at the hands of the former Liberal-National government cannot be undone overnight, not by any stretch. It is a complete disgrace what they did to the environment. We will continue to do all that we can and we will work towards getting this EPBC reform sorted as quickly as possible.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to contribute to this afternoon's discussion on an issue that is so important: the survival of planet Earth—how we look after the environment, the environment that sustains all of us. We know the facts and figures. The environment is under stress more than ever before. Under the weight of human consumption, greed, negligence, Mother Earth is struggling, and she is crying out for help. When we look around at our local communities, we see that there are fewer green spaces, fewer native forests and fewer native animals. It's unthinkable that our iconic koala is even on the endangered list and slated for extinction in the next few decades if we don't act now.

Australians are increasingly concerned and are becoming more and more frustrated that, while politicians, political parties and leaders know the facts, know the issues and know what needs to stop, all we seem to get is more of the same and arguments like, 'We'll do it later on,' or 'That's going to cost money,' or 'But we need to destroy that particular part of the forest because somebody's job relies on it.' For far too long we have been asking Mother Nature to carry the burden for our greed and our expansion. We've got to do better. Australians expect that, in this place, when parliamentarians and political parties promise that they are going to act on the environment and are going to put in place environmental protection laws, those laws will actually do something to protect the environment. Currently, Australia's environmental laws are really weak and are less about protecting the environment and more about a pathway to approve mining projects and big development—more about approving those projects, rather than protecting the environment from their destruction.

We know Australians are becoming frustrated. All we need to do is look at the election results in Tasmania on the weekend, where we saw people overwhelmingly reject the state Liberal Party's push to log more, destroy more, and save less. We saw the local Tasmanian community reject that. We saw across the country on the weekend thousands and thousands of Australians rallying to protect our native forests—not just to save the animals that live in them and call those forests their homes but also to save these forests because we are in a dual crisis of extinction and climate. It is a double-whammy because, the worse the climate gets, the more stress our environment is under, and the more stress our environment is under the worse the climate crisis gets. It is a wicked, wicked cycle. We have to put a stop to it.

You do that by stopping the things that are making this situation worse. Stop burning those fossil fuels that supercharge the climate crisis; stop approving projects that are going to create more pollution that will supercharge the climate crisis and greenhouse gases and global warming; and put a stop to the destruction of the carbon sinks, our native forests, which really are one of the only things we've got in the battle against this climate crisis. Every time another tree in our native forests is logged, it makes it harder for us to stop runaway climate change. It doesn't just put at risk our native animals; it also puts at risk our community. We need laws that do something to protect the environment.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we sit here today, nearly a quarter of a century into the 21st century, with all we know about the breakdown of this planet's climate and the extinction crisis that we are facing on a global scale, it is truly staggering that both old-style parties in this place still support the wholesale destruction of Australia's beautiful, magnificent carbon-rich native forests and that both major parties in this place—the Coles and Woolworths of Australian politics—still support the industrial-scale clear-felling and burning of the habitat of some of the most beautiful, unique creatures on this planet.

Our native forests are home to a complex and awesome web of life. They are absolutely critical in the fight against climate change. They nurture our spirits, and they are worth protecting just for what they are—beautiful and magnificent. Native forest logging is not just a last-century industry; it is actually a 19th-century industry. Logging those beautiful, awesome, magnificent forests is a crime against our climate and a crime against nature. Whether it's the swift parrot in my home state of Tasmania being logged into extinction by the Tasmanian government, or the Leadbeater's possum, the southern greater glider and many other threatened species that call Australia's native forests home, those species are being driven into extinction by an industry based on greed and on political access.

The native forest logging industry destroys carbon sinks, and it releases carbon bonds into the atmosphere. It is a mendicant industry that would collapse overnight if public subsidies were withdrawn from it. Why does it exist? It exists so that people in this place in the major parties can put on their hardhats and their safety vets, wander into the local sawmill for a photo opportunity and pretend that they care about the workers. They don't care about the workers. If they did, they would be putting in place a transition plan to help those workers transition their jobs into jobs that manage and protect biodiversity, manage and protect our forests, and manage and protect nature. Instead, what we see are draconian anti-protest laws, where those brave people who actually put themselves on the line to defend our forests are criminalised. It shouldn't be a crime to defend our forests; it should be a crime to destroy our forests. That's why we need ecocide laws in Australia that actually criminalise the destruction of nature, particularly when it's done for profit and political gain.

The major parties will soon understand that they can't arrest their way out of the climate crisis and that they can't arrest their way out of the extinction crisis. The prisons are just not big enough for them to be able to do that. There are people who have been—and still are today—in prison in Tasmania because they stood up against the political duopoly in this country and put themselves on the line to defend our forests. I will give a shout-out to those people and the many others around this country who are engaging in civil disobedience to protect our climate and to protect nature. They are the true heroes of our times, and they will be recorded as heroes when the pages of history are written through the 21st century.

The Liberals in Tasmania went to the election promising more logging. There was a 10-plus per cent swing against them. Those policies were overwhelmingly rejected.

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

I'm pleased to rise to speak to this motion in one of my last speeches in this place because Australia is in an extinction crisis. We hold the highest number of mammal extinctions globally and rank second in the world for biodiversity loss, just behind Indonesia. This is a national disgrace. Our national environment laws should protect the places we love and protect our flora and fauna, yet it's clear that they are failing. They are failing to stop animals and birds hurtling towards extinction, and they are failing to safeguard our environment from political whim and greed.

The Regional Forest Agreements form one of the most destructive parts of our environment laws. Under these agreements, the logging industry is given a special carve-out from the EPBC Act, which means that the regulation and protection of Australia's precious forests and wildlife are effectively left to state governments. These are the same state governments who own Forestry Corporation of NSW and so-called Sustainable Timber Tasmania, logging agencies who have recklessly destroyed irreplaceable forests and critical habitat time and time again.

Despite there being less than 750 swift parrots in the whole world, logging of their forest homes in Tasmania continues. In New South Wales last year, an endangered greater glider was found dead after a logging operation in the Tallaganda forest just 70 kilometres south of parliament. This forest was logged by the Forestry Corporation of NSW despite being one of the only places in the whole world where greater gliders are still dominant; it's been identified as a priority area for greater glider recovery. After the dead glider was found, the state EPA ordered an immediate stop to operations. But now they've approved logging to start again, just with slightly bigger buffer zones around the greater glider nest trees.

The harm caused by logging operations can't be underestimated, and it can't be undone. The habitat of threatened species is being destroyed. Over the last 20 years, greater glider numbers have declined by up to 80 per cent in some areas due to logging, land clearing and devastating fires caused by the climate crisis. Our national environment laws are failing to stop the destruction of the Tallaganda, despite the significance of this forest: as habitat for the greater glider and other endangered species; for being unceded country for First Nations peoples; for its role in soaking up and storing carbon; and as a destination for hikers, mountain bikers and birdwatchers. State logging agencies cannot be trusted and neither can their state government owners. Again in New South Wales, this was made abundantly clear by the New South Wales Labor government's refusal to halt logging in areas that they promised would be part of the great koala national park. Meanwhile, the logging continues. The New South Wales government has broken its pre-election commitment and put koalas in the state absolutely and firmly on the path to extinction. In Victoria, where native logging is meant to have stopped, we still have logging going on in the Wombat forest under the guise of fire protection and salvage logging. I was pleased to be at a forest rally in Kyneton yesterday with hundreds of forest defenders, who are determined to see this logging end.

In the nearly two years of this Labor government, we have witnessed the government turn a blind eye to the destruction of Australia's forests and threatened species by the logging industry, happily approve new coal and gas mines, and delay and defer changes to our environment laws. This Labor government, when it comes to threatened species, are no better than their Liberal predecessors. The only difference is that the Liberal government were upfront about their earth-destroying intent instead of sneaking through destructive legislation. If this Labor government really cared about their zero extinction promise, protecting Australia's environment or stopping the climate crisis, they would listen to First Nations peoples, environment organisations and the Greens. They would come true on their promise to reform and strengthen our environment laws and they would abolish The Regional Forest Agreements and end native forest logging once and for all.

I look forward to returning to life as a forest campaigner after I leave this place, working with the majority of the Australian people, who want to see an end to native forest logging. I look forward to seeing my colleagues continue to work together in this place to make sure that our forests are protected.

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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