Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

That may very well be in my speech, Deputy Speaker. Every day in Maribyrnong, you can see what's worth fighting for: the river, winding through our suburbs; the creeks, alive with birdlife; and the volunteers who spend their weekends planting trees and restoring country. That's what this reform is about—protecting the places we love while building a stronger, cleaner, fairer future. This legislation is a turning point for our environment, for our economy and for the kind of Australia we want to build. This reform is about more than paperwork and process; it's about whether our kids will still hear the birdsong in our suburbs, still swim in the clean rivers and still walk through forests that haven't been lost to short-term thinking.

The Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 is our chance to get it right—to build a system that protects nature, supports jobs and drives the clean energy future we owe to the next generation. Together with the National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025, the Environment Information Australia Bill 2025 and the restoration and charges bills, this is the most ambitious environmental reform in decades—a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset, which puts protection and progress on the same page, because that's what Labor does. We don't sit on the sidelines, we don't wait for perfection and we don't just talk about change; we make it happen. We're the party that saved the Franklin, protected the Daintree, expanded Kakadu and created the world's largest network of marine parks. We're the party that acted on climate when others said it could wait. And we're doing it again—rebuilding Australia's environmental laws to deliver real protection, real jobs and real accountability, not for hashtags or headlines but because it's the right thing to do—because our country deserves better.

The truth is our existing environmental laws are broken. The independent Samuel review, commissioned in 2020, found what communities, conservationists and industry have known for years: that our current EPBC Act is failing. It's not protecting our environment, it's not giving business certainty and it's not supporting the projects that our country needs to build homes, renewable energy and a strong future made in Australia. We can't afford to keep doing things the same way. Australians expect better. The people of Maribyrnong expect better. My community cares deeply about the natural world—about our rivers and parks, our threatened species and the world we'll leave our kids. They want environmental laws that actually work—laws that protect nature and cut through red tape; laws that get results. That's exactly what these reforms will deliver.

These reforms stand on three clear pillars: stronger protection and restoration; faster and fairer decisions; and greater accountability and transparency. Let me speak briefly on each. First, we're putting environmental protection back at the heart of the law, where it belongs. For too long, the system has been full of grey areas and loopholes—decisions made behind closed doors and projects approved that clearly shouldn't have been. This reform says 'no more'. For the first time, this law will make it clear that the projects with unacceptable impacts on our most precious places and species cannot be approved, unless they pass a strict national interest test. We're finally enshrining national environmental standards, something Labor has been fighting for for years. These will set clear, enforceable rules for biodiversity, offsets, First Nations engagement and environmental data.

We're also overhauling the offset system so that every project must deliver a net gain for nature, not just less damage. Every project must give back more than it takes. We're creating a restoration fund so companies can contribute to genuine landscape-scale restoration—planting trees, protecting habitat, restoring wetlands, strengthening ecosystems—because protecting the environment isn't just about stopping harm; it's about healing country. We're backing this up with tougher enforcement, stronger penalties and new powers to stop environmental damage before it happens—no more treating fines as a cost of doing business. For the first time, big projects will have to disclose their emissions and abatement plans, because Australians deserve honesty and transparency from those profiting off our environment. This is what Labor does best: turn big principles into practical outcomes.

The second pillar is about getting things moving responsibly. Right now, the approval system is slow, confusing and full of duplication between governments. That helps no-one—not communities, not business and certainly not the environment—so we're fixing it. We'll introduce streamlined pathways for projects that provide strong, transparent information upfront—cutting red tape, not corners. We'll modernise bilateral agreements with states and territories so assessments can be done once, properly and to national standards. We'll invest in bioregional planning, mapping out areas for development and areas for conservation. Communities will know what's protected, and businesses will know where they can invest with certainty. When you set clear rules and enforce them properly, you get faster, fairer, better outcomes, and that's what these reforms deliver.

The third pillar, perhaps the most important pillar, is accountability because people have lost trust. They've seen governments look the other way, approvals be waved through and big polluters treat fines as a rounding error. That ends here. We're establishing the National Environmental Protection Agency, an independent, tough, transparent regulator with real teeth. It will enforce the law, investigate breaches and hold corporations to account. The national EPA will make sure no-one—no company, no project, no government—is above the rules. Alongside it, we're creating Environment Information Australia to make environmental data open, accurate and accessible. Australians will finally be able to see in plain sight the state of our environment updated regularly and backed by science, because sunlight is the best disinfectant.

Australians deserve a system that's fair, fast and honest, and that's what these reforms deliver. While this government is getting on with delivering the biggest environmental reform in a generation, others in this place are playing the same old games. The coalition, who sat on the Samuel review for years, are now pretending to care about process, and the Greens, once again, are threatening to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Well, my community in Maribyrnong has no time for political posturing or empty protest. We want progress—real, tangible change that protects our environment and builds our future.

The people of Maribyrnong know how much our environment shapes our lives. From the banks of the Maribyrnong River to the creeks that stretch across our suburbs, our green spaces aren't just beautiful; they're the lungs of our community. They're where families walk, kids play and volunteers roll up their sleeves to care for country. Groups like Moonee Valley Sustainability, Friends of Steele Creek and Friends of the Maribyrnong Valley have spent decades restoring native habitats and protecting local waterways. Their work reminds us that caring for nature is about more than trees and species; it's about health, connection and the kind of community we want to build for the future. It's a legacy we're proud of in Maribyrnong.

One of my predecessors—the late, great Moss Cass—served as Australia's first environment and conservation minister. He fought to legislate the Environment Protection (Impact of Proposals) Act 1974 and set the standard for bold, science driven environmental leadership. His reforms laid the groundwork that protected the Great Barrier Reef, saved Fraser Island from sand mining and curtailed uranium mining in Kakadu. It was Moss's belief that power only matters if you do something bold with it. This legislation before the House today is bold. It will deliver stronger safeguards for local waterways and ecosystems; faster, clearer approvals for renewable energy and housing projects that create jobs; and a more transparent system that people can trust.

My community voted for action that protects the environment and builds Australia's future, and that's exactly what this Labor government is doing. Not everyone in this place shares that commitment or real desire for action. The coalition, true to form, still treat environmental policy as a burden, not a responsibility, and now we see just how far they've fallen. They are on the cusp of abandoning their net zero commitment because of the climate-denying extremists who now dominate their party room.

The modern Liberal Party is no longer a party for government. It has been hijacked by denial, captured by conspiracy and paralysed by cowardice. Even their leader is choosing political survival over Australia's future. They continue to show their true colours on environment: divided, inconsistent and driven by ideology rather than science. Let's remember that the Samuel review that underpins these reforms was commissioned and received by the now opposition leader when she was environment minister. She had the report in her hands five years ago and did nothing—absolutely nothing. It sums up those opposite perfectly. When it comes to the environment, they just don't care.

Then there are the Greens, whose purity politics too often have let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Let's not forget that it was the Greens who teamed up with the climate deniers opposite in 2009 to block Labor's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, setting Australia's climate action back decades. They talk about urgency but vote for delay. They preach progress while standing in the way of it. These reforms deliver real protection: an independent EPA to hold polluters accountable; national environmental standards with legal force; net gain offsets to restore the environment; and faster approvals for housing, clean energy and critical minerals. Yet the Greens threaten to block them because they're not perfect enough and because they prefer protest over progress. The people of my state and of Australia have had enough of it. At the last election, they rejected the Greens' policy of protest and purity. They voted for progress, not posturing. In my neighbouring electorate, they ousted the leader of the Greens and replaced him with a progressive Labor woman focused on getting things done.

Australians know this: real progress doesn't come from shouting from the sidelines; it comes from doing the hard work, making the tough calls and delivering real outcomes. That's what Labor is doing, right here. This bill is Labor at its best: bold, practical and driven by a belief that the government can and should make life better. We're not here to talk about what can't be done; we're here to get it done. We're here to protect our rivers and bushlands, to fast-track clean energy that will power our homes and industries and to build an environmental system that finally matches the scale of the challenges we face. It's a reform that learns from the past and from the years of denial and delay. It sets Australia on a new path—one where protecting nature goes hand in hand with creating jobs, homes and opportunities.

This is a Labor government acting with purpose. We're delivering stronger safeguards for nature, we're delivering faster and fairer decisions for communities, and we're delivering the accountability and transparency that rebuild trust. Our environment can't wait, and neither can our children's' future. That's why I'm proud to stand here today on behalf of the people of Maribyrnong to back in this reform—to back progress over protest, action over rhetoric and hope over cynicism. Labor is once again leading the nation, protecting what we love, building what we need and delivering for the generations to come. I commend the bill to the House.

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