Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

During the recent debate on the government's reforms of the national environmental legislation, I didn't get the opportunity to speak on the bills. So I want to take the opportunity to congratulate Minister Murray Watt and the Prime Minister in terms of the agreement that's been reached in relation to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and say a few words about the beneficial impact it will have for my electorate. The new streamlined assessment pathway will significantly reduce the timeframe for proponents to provide sufficient information upfront. It will provide an incentive to meet the standards upfront. It will deliver faster decisions, saving businesses time and money. New and improved bilateral agreement with the states will remove duplication for the assessment and approval of projects.

The reality is that, in the Ipswich area, the current laws are holding up critical housing and road projects. Some housing developments in Ipswich have been in limbo for five years as a result of green tape and the EPBC approvals, delaying vital housing supply in the middle of a housing crisis. On top of this, the EPBC requirements and associated ecological assessments for the much needed Mount Crosby Road interchange upgrade on the Warrego Highway in my electorate—a major freight and commuter corridor—have seen the finalisation of the design pushed back by around 18 months. The laws are costing business time and money, and strangling the homes and infrastructure that we need. This was a big theme of a local Blair growth and productivity roundtable that I held in August this year, as well as of the Treasurer's national Economic Reform Roundtable.

Going forward, the government's reforms will tackle the underlying causes of these delays while also delivering greater protection for nature. It's not an either-or. Indeed, what we're doing in my electorate will benefit both business and the environment. During the last election, I was proud to announce a $1.2 million commitment from Labor towards Goodness Enterprises' Koala Rehabilitation and Education Centre at the Goodness Chuwar Conservation Corridor in Tivoli, on the north side of Ipswich. This builds on our support for local environment groups and projects in Blair during the last term with the government's $76 million Saving Koalas Fund. We've invested $3 million in the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program to improve habitat for species like platypus and the Queensland lungfish and to improve the Bremer, Woogaroo and Brisbane catchments in the Ipswich region.

You don't have to choose between the environment and business. It's not a zero-sum game. We need to get this done to deliver what the Australian people voted us in to do—establish a national environmental protection agency, strengthen protection for native forests and create a $300 million forestry growth fund to support jobs. These reforms are good for the environment. They're good for jobs, good for certainty and good for industry. I am very pleased to hear the announcement today by the Prime Minister and Minister Murray Watt. This will be a win for the environment, urgently needed housing in Ipswich, critical infrastructure and the national economy.

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