Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last night, this building was overflowing with mining and fossil fuel lobbyists for the Australian minerals industry parliamentary dinner. The event was hosted by the Minerals Council, who have donated $84,700 to Labor and $146,380 to the LNP in the last financial year.

Last week, the Prime Minister was in Western Australia, doling out tax credits to mining corporations. But, at last night's dinner, Minerals Council CEO Tania Constable told the PM in her address that the environmental approval process 'must be sorted out'—sorted out in a way that provides unfettered, tax-free access to land and resources, ignores the wishes of traditional owners, ignores biodiversity and climate and has as little as possible industrial relations protection for the mining sector's workforce. She effectively warned the Prime Minister to undermine mining profits at his peril.

Earlier this year, the Minister for Resources tried to pass an amendment to give herself, rather than the environment minister, ultimate authority for offshore gas project approvals. That proposal to bypass environmental approvals—which the Greens stopped—followed revelations that Minister King received a request from the CEO of Santos to gag First Nations groups and fast-track new offshore gas. Santos asked for the laws to be changed to bolster their own profits. Presumably Santos thought that its $110,000 donation last financial year made such a direct request to the minister entirely reasonable.

Who is the government working for—the Australian people or the fossil fuel industry? Twice I've introduced a bill to ban donations from fossil fuel corporations and other sectors with a track record of trying to buy influence, but there hasn't been any interest. Why? Because it's not in the interests of their donor mates.