Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today as the federal member for Newcastle, a city deeply proud of its historical heart which sits alongside our world-class beaches and our internationally recognised wetlands, to speak in very strong support of this Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025. This bill is about far more than legislative reform. It's about the kind of future we want to choose for our children, our grandchildren and the generations to come.

Newcastle is no stranger to transformation. We've evolved from our foundations in steelmaking, shipbuilding and heavy industry to a city of innovation, creativity and resilience. We know what hard work looks like. But we also know that the health of our environment underpins everything. Our harbour, our wetlands and our coastline from Merewether to Stockton are not just beautiful backdrops; they are part of our city's identity. They sustain livelihoods, tourism, recreation and community wellbeing. They provide the critical habitats for biodiversity and shorelines for threatened migratory shorebirds and, of course, the green and golden bell frog. Every worker who clocks on early in the morning, every family that walks the foreshore and every child who plays in our parks and on our beaches deserves clean air, clean water and a safe environment. This bill offers that better future.

The Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 is the most significant overhaul of Australia's national environmental laws in a generation. It creates a streamlined, efficient and effective framework that cuts duplication, reduces the delays and restores trust in the system. For too long, approvals have been bogged down by complexity and inconsistency, frustrating businesses and communities alike. This bill replaces that patchwork with one clear, strong set of rules that are legally enforceable national environmental standards. They are the first of their kind in Australia's history.

Let's not hear this nonsense that these laws are not profound enough or that they're too profound for some members opposite. No longer will polluters be able to shop around for the weakest rules. No longer will Australians be left guessing which government is responsible when things go wrong. It delivers one system, one set of rules and one national approach underpinned by a tough, independent national environment protection authority with the powers and resources to enforce the law and hold offenders to account.

For Newcastle, this reform means real, tangible outcomes. It means a cleaner harbour and waterfront. Our port activity is vital to our regional economy, but our community also deserves clean water, safe recreation and restored shoreline amenity. Stronger standards and a tougher EPA mean better monitoring, less pollution and healthier waterways for everyone. It means stronger protections for our industrial zones as they undergo transition. The Hunter is at the forefront of the clean energy revolution with green hydrogen and ammonia, battery manufacturing, a clean energy precinct at the Port of Newcastle and a net zero manufacturing centre at Tighes Hill TAFE. We need a framework that supports that transition, not one that rewards inaction or delay.

It means investment certainty for the renewable energy and clean technology sectors. Investors want clarity. I do not understand how the coalition does not get this point. Investors want to know that environmental approvals will be handled efficiently and transparently. This bill gives them that confidence by unlocking new projects, cheap and clean energy, and new jobs—very important in regions like Newcastle and the Hunter. It means safer, healthier communities; stronger air quality standards; better land-use planning; and cleaner waterways as well as greater resilience to the growing impacts of climate change.

But this bill doesn't just tighten rules; it streamlines processes. For too long, approvals have been mired in duplication. This bill creates a single consistent framework with efficient, transparent decisions. For too many builders, it takes a longer time to get approval for a home than to build one. Building on the Australian Labor government's ambitious $43 billion housing agenda, the government announced in August that it would fast-track 26,000 homes currently under environmental assessment. But the measures in this bill tackle the underlying cause of delay while delivering stronger protections for nature.

In crafting these reforms, we have looked to three pillars: firstly, stronger protection and restoration; secondly, efficient and robust assessments and approvals; and, thirdly, accountability, including the National Environmental Protection Agency.

When it comes to housing, the Greens choose politics over progress every single time. They worked with Peter Dutton in the last term to block progress here in Canberra, they block housing in their local communities and they offer fantasy fixes that make the housing crisis worse. The Australian people have shown the Greens that they have a pretty dim view of opposition for opposition's sake. It's time they heeded the message and worked constructively with government. You've got an option. We can work this way, or we can work that way. You all should be on board, quite frankly, in the national interest to begin with.

But review after review has told us that these laws, our current environment laws, are not fit for purpose. We all know that. If you were all honest you would all admit that yourselves. In 2020, Professor Graeme Samuel delivered that review and made it very clear to all that the current system was broken: it's too slow, too complex and too weak. He called for strong national environmental standards and a tough, independent regulator to enforce them. Yet, since then, we've seen delay after delay after delay, and that is fuelled not only by community but by people who take advantage of political games.

Graeme Samuel himself has warned that the ongoing obstruction by the coalition and, disappointingly, by the Greens is a betrayal of the Australian government—and he is right. This is our one shot for a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix a system that has failed both business and nature for far too long. The Greens want to frame this legislation as a tug of war between the environment and the economy. They assert a false choice: that you can have one but not the other. And that is simply wrong. You don't have to choose between the environment and jobs or business. You can protect and grow both. Rather than petty political stunts, the Greens should learn their lessons and work with the government to deliver what the Australian people want. The Australian people have voted not once but twice for this legislation. Let's get this done.

This is the same Greens party that teamed up with the coalition to block the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme in 2009, setting the stage for a decade—indeed, decades—of climate inaction. They also teamed up to send more of Australia's rubbish overseas, missing an opportunity to create jobs here and protect our environment. Whether it's the climate, housing or environmental reform, the Greens have too often put their own political interests above the national interest. If the Greens now choose to block this legislation, they will only have themselves to blame for the lack of progress on environmental law reform.

This bill is not about choosing between the environment and the economy. The two are inseparable. Strong standards provide certainty for investors and fairness for responsible operators. In Newcastle we've always understood that balance—prosperity through innovation while protecting our coast and waterways. This bill reflects that legacy.

This is nation-building reform. It creates a modern, trusted system of environmental protection. For the first time, the environmental information will be public in real time; for the first time, the Commonwealth will set binding standards; and, for the first time, there will be an independent, national EPA—a strong cop on the beat. This is what Australians expect, and it is what Labor is delivering.

This is a moment of decision. The people of Newcastle expect us to protect both jobs and the environment. We can deliver the renewable energy and the housing we need while safeguarding nature. Let's pass this bill. Let's protect our environment and build our economy at the same time. I commend this bill to the House.

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