Tom French (Moore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a great honour and privilege to be in this place. But, I must say, it is an absolute sight to behold something so rare: the member for Goldstein and the member for Riverina joining together in unity to express the one thing they do agree on, which is to fill their policy vacuum with their hatred of the Labor Party. I'm not sure of the relevance of some of their speeches, but I digress.

I rise today in support of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Board of Management Functions) Bill 2025. This bill is small in size but significant in impact. It's about continuity, respect and responsibility. It's about making sure that the way we manage jointly held Commonwealth reserves never misses a beat, even when the paperwork runs behind. Right now, under the EPBC Act, when the management plan for the jointly managed reserve expires, so too does the decision-making authority of the board of management. That means that, overnight, the board goes from being an active, trusted voice to a body unable to make decisions. This bill closes the gap. It allows the boards of management to keep working in line with the most recent plan until the new one is finalised. In plain terms, it keeps the lights on, the wheels turning and the decisions flowing.

These boards are not faceless committees; they are made up of people appointed by the minister. Where reserves sit on Indigenous land, as is the case for Kakadu, Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Booderee, traditional owners nominate the majority of its members. That matters. It means decisions are grounded not just in legislation but in culture, knowledge and lived custodianship. It means the people with the deepest connection to country continue to shape how that country is cared for. Without this bill, when plans expire, that authority dissolves. The risk is not abstract. It could mean delays in fire management, cultural site protection or visitor safety. Continuity isn't red tape; it is respect for the land and for the people who have cared for it for millennia.

The EPBC Act is the backbone of our national environmental law. At the heart of the act, management plans set out how each reserve will be cared for. They cover everything from heritage protection to weed control, tourism and research. These plans take years to prepare and must be reviewed every decade. Sometimes a plan expires before a new one is ready. That is the gap that this bill closes. This bill ensures Indigenous voices remain central, uninterrupted and authoritative in the management of jointly held reserves. It is about participation but also trust—trust that governance is consistent, respectful and reliable. And it is about stewardship, because good governance is not just paperwork. It is firebreaks cut, sacred sites protected and knowledge applied in real time. It is the everyday works that keep our heritage safe.

This bill does not change the role of the Director of National Parks. That role remains as it is today. This is a targeted, standalone fix to a very specific problem. As a member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, I understand the importance of getting governance right. Sometimes the fixes are big—new frameworks and new standards. Sometimes they are small and precise, like this one. Both matter. Both make a difference.

In committee hearings, we repeatedly hear from traditional owners and local communities about the need for certainty. Certainty builds trust. Certainty delivers continuity. This bill provides exactly that. Let me stress that this bill is not tied to the broader EPBC reform agenda expected later this year. Those reforms—national environment standards, an EPA and more transparency—are moving on their own track. This bill is separate, urgent and about the here and now.

In my electorate of Moore, we don't manage Kakadu or Uluru, but we do know the value of continuity. While this bill speaks directly to Kakadu, Uluru and Booderee, it also speaks to us in Western Australia. Our state has led the way in joint management agreements with traditional owners at Karijini, Kalbarri and Purnululu. Even closer to home, the Pinnacles in the Nambung National Park sit just north of Moore and are one of WA's most iconic tourism drawcards. Visitors come through Moore and, on their way, are staying in Joondalup, eating in our restaurants and fuelling up in our suburbs.

The confidence that these treasures are well managed underpins not just environmental protection but also local jobs and businesses. Whether it's a sports club, a lifesaving patrol or a conservation group, if leadership stops abruptly, things fall through the cracks. Safety suffers, heritage suffers and people lose faith. I think of the surf clubs at Trigg, Mullaloo and Sorrento, where volunteers show up, rain or shine, to patrol our beaches. If their authority stopped the moment paperwork expired, lives would be at risk. That is how absurd it would be. Continuity is not bureaucracy. It is safety.

Take our conservation groups caring for Lake Joondalup, Yellagonga Regional Park and bush corridors through Craigie and Padbury. If leadership suddenly lost its ability to act, you would see weeds spread, fire risk climb and gains unravel. People in Moore understand that stewardship is ongoing. You do not stop caring for country because a date has passed. In Moore, that principle is lived daily on Whadjuk Noongar country. Traditional owners remind us that stewardship is continuous, not episodic. Whether caring for Yellagonga wetlands, protecting cultural sites or passing knowledge to the next generation, there is no pause button. This bill reflects that reality, not just in Kakadu but across Australia, where Indigenous custodianship guides management.

I think, too, of our bushfire brigades across the northern suburbs. When a fire breaks out, no-one checks whether a committee's mandate has lapsed. They just get to work with skill, with courage and with continuity. Having worked for the United Professional Firefighters Union, I know how vital that is. I've seen the risks when coordination falters and I've seen the professionalism that keeps us safe. Fire does not wait, and neither should governance. That is what this bill reflects: uninterrupted responsibility.

It's not just in emergencies. At Whitfords Nodes Park, groups run coastal rehabilitation year after year. At the Joondalup Community Coast Care Forum, locals share knowledge about protecting beaches and dunes. At Hillarys Boat Harbour, where tourism and environment are finely balanced, continuity is essential. These groups know from experience that gaps in leadership undo months of effort. One group that embodies this principle is Friends of Sorrento Beach and Marmion Foreshore. Week after week, season after season, they care for our coastline.

It is fundamentally about continuity of care for the places we love. Just as these groups in my electorate cannot down tools because a meeting is delayed, boards should not lose powers because a plan has expired. The same is true of Friends of Yellagonga Regional Park, caring for wetlands and bushland around Lake Joondalup. They know that weed control and habitat restoration cannot pause. If those efforts stop, even briefly, damage spreads. Friends of Yellagonga Regional Park understand continuity because their work follows natural cycles. That rhythm of stewardship is what this bill protects.

I want to acknowledge the young people who live this principle. At Ocean Reef Senior High School, students are encouraged to study marine and environmental science in a hands-on way. They understand that ecosystems need constant care and that continuity is the difference between thriving and declining. These students are the next generation of stewards. Their teachers remind them, as I remind this House, that you cannot press pause on caring for country. The lesson is simple: continuity matters, whether on the sand at Mullaloo, in the seagrass at Marmion, by the lake at Yellagonga or on the escarpments of Uluru. This bill makes sure continuity is never lost.

The heart of this bill reflects the values that guide this government and guide me. Fairness means traditional owners stay at the table. Respect means management of country continues seamlessly. Responsibility means we fix the gaps before they cause harm. These are the same principles I hear echoed back at home in Moore. From parents coaching sport in Currambine to volunteers planting trees in Iluka, and the groups preserving bushland and ocean reef, people know the value of continuity, respect and responsibility. As someone who began his working life as an electrician, I know what happens when continuity is lost. On a job site, when the plan is unclear, mistakes are made. People get hurt. Continuity of leadership is not a nice-to-have; it is essential.

Later, as a kidney transplant recipient, I learnt that continuity in care is the difference between life and death. You do not want treatment to stop because a file expired. You need steady, reliable stewardship. That lesson applies in health, in trades and in environmental management. Continuity also matters in policy. When we talk about the cost of living, Australians do not want one-offs; they want certainty. That is why this government delivered direct energy bill relief and is investing in long-term reforms to keep prices down.

When we talk about the clean energy transition, Australians want continuity so that, as industries change, new jobs and training are ready. When we talk about skills, continuity in training and apprenticeships gives young people in Moore the confidence to plan a career, whether it's a young sparkie at North Metro TAFE or a nurse in training at ECU Joondalup, continuity turns dreams into futures.

The truth is that environmental stewardship is not a stop-start exercise. Country does not wait for paperwork. Fires do not wait for paperwork. Visitors do not wait for paperwork. Government must keep pace with reality. Some might ask why this matters so much. It matters because places like Kakadu, Uluru and the Pinnacles are not only national treasures; they are also cultural treasures. They are living landscapes cared for by traditional owners for generations. Interrupting governance interrupts that partnership; it interrupts respect.

These parks are also of international significance. Millions of visitors travel from around the world to witness their beauty, history and spirit. When tourists stand before Uluru at sunset, they are experiencing a living story woven into the identity of this nation. Governance gaps put that experience and that responsibility at risk. Environmental management is already complex. Plans take time. Consultation takes time. Balancing ecological science, cultural heritage, tourism and community needs takes time. This bill ensures that, while that work continues, governance does not stop. It is practical lawmaking. It is careful, considered and respectful. It does not overreach. It simply closes a gap that should never have existed, and, in doing so, it strengthens our partnership with traditional owners. It honours the principle that those who know the land best should always have a voice. It affirms the government's commitment to walk alongside Indigenous Australians.

Sometimes we risk treating amendments like this as technicalities. But this is not a technicality. This is about fairness, respect and responsibility. Fairness means ensuring boards can continue their work. Respect means recognising the authority and knowledge of traditional owners. Responsibility means governance does not falter because of a loophole. These values are not abstract; they are lived every day in Moore. They are lived when families in Joondalup support a neighbour, when students at ECU or North Metro TAFE gain skills for a clean energy future, when seniors in Duncraig preserve community spaces, when children at Mullaloo learn about the coast, when volunteers in the Friends of Sorrento Beach and Marmion Foreshore protect our shoreline, when members of the Friends of Yellagonga Regional Park restore wetlands and when students at Ocean Reef Senior High School learn that stewardship is continuous. Continuity, respect and responsibility—these shape both our local life and our national governance.

This bill ensures that boards remain empowered even when plans expire. It preserves Indigenous leadership in jointly managed reserves. It keeps governance steady, respectful and consistent. It does all of this without changing the director's role or delaying broader reforms. As someone who has spent his life moving between the tools, the law and now this parliament, I have learnt that sometimes the smallest adjustments keep the system working. This is one of those adjustments. I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.

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