Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government will not be supporting the third reading of this legislation. The government’s view is that whilst this is, no doubt, a significant issue for a school on the north coast of New South Wales, this is an issue that affects a range of areas. We have a review of the EPBC Act underway. We believe that a comprehensive approach to these issues is required rather than legislation which removes one suburb from the application of the EPBC Act.

Certainly, the government indicates to all members that the minister is more than prepared to engage in constructive dialogue about solutions to what are, the government acknowledges, very real issues. But the government will not be supporting this amendment bill.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The question is that this bill be now read a third time. I just indicate that if I give the call to the member for Cowper that will close the debate. No—that is wrong; I am making that up as I go along! The member for Cowper has the call and the debate can continue.

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a very important bill, and I would have hoped that the member for Page would have supported this bill, which is vital to the interests of Maclean High School. We have had a situation in the past where the needs of the school were comprehensively ignored. The students and staff at that school had to tolerate very poor education conditions—conditions that were a threat to their health—and we had a mexican stand-off. We had a situation where the federal department had indicated quite clearly to the state authorities that there was no way they were going to agree to the removal of bats at Maclean High School, and as a result the state authorities refused to submit a licence application on the basis that they knew full well that the federal government would not agree.

But when this bill came to the attention of the public the attitude of the federal government miraculously changed, and we were able to get to a situation where an approval was subsequently granted. But in the future, if we need to modify this approval, again the old processes will come into play. Again, the mexican stand-off will begin and again the students and staff of Maclean high will have to endure intolerable conditions where there are bat faeces right throughout the school, where their health is at risk and we have federal bureaucrats twiddling their thumbs.

So it is absolutely vital that this bill be passed. We had absolutely no assistance from the federal department. A working group was set up: the Maclean bat working group. They sat there and fiddled, month in and month out, basically trying to wear out public interest in this matter. But the problem for the government was that public interest did not wane. People were very passionate about this issue; they were very passionate about the health of the staff and students at the school, and at the nearby TAFE and the health of the surrounding residents. Public opinion did not go away. This bill really was the catalyst for action to be taken; action that, it was made clear, would not be possible due to the intransigence of the federal government.

It is vitally important that we see this legislation passed. This school has a particular need; this is one of the largest high schools in New South Wales. It is immediately adjacent to the TAFE and that is also immediately adjacent to a residential area. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of people affected by this, over and above the 1,100 students at the school. It is vitally important that we put the interests of the staff and students of the TAFE and Maclean high, and the interests of the surrounding residents, ahead of the interests of bats.

We have had the odd request by people coming into my office to support the bats, I will admit. But the one thing that all of those requesters have in common is that none of them live immediately around the site that is in question. We have a number of people who are concerned about the bats, but they live nowhere near the adverse effects that the bats are causing to the community.

I hope that the member for Page will join me in supporting the staff and students of Maclean high, and that we will see this bill passed through the parliament so that the staff and students can be assured that the educational environment at their school is maintained.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! First of all, my instincts were right: the third reading debate would have been concluded by the summing up of the mover. But I now give the call to the Leader of the House.