Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to rise today to speak about the government's announcement yesterday in relation to the additional environmental protections around coal seam gas proposals. The member for Page and I were with the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities when he made this very important announcement. He announced that the government would introduce amendments to our national environmental law, which is the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, to require federal assessment and approval of coal seam gas and large coalmine developments which have a significant impact on a water resource. We are amending the act so that water resources become part of the assessment of proposals. It is a very important move by this government in recognising the massive community concern about coal seam gas mining.

Right across the North Coast we have had major concerns from the community. They have certainly called upon us to take this action. Whilst we have acknowledged that this has happened, I want to focus today on the role that the states need to keep playing because they regulate and license coal seam gas mining. This is an issue that I and the member for Page have raised on numerous occasions. In fact, we have a petition at the moment for a CSG-free North Coast and we are calling on the state members to take action. We want the state members for Tweed, Ballina, Lismore and Clarence to go and see the Premier and demand that the North Coast is CSG free. The member for Page and I have voiced the concerns that locals have on the federal front, and we have done what we can. We have seen these really important amendments that are going to be made to the EPBC Act in recognising the potential impact on our water resources. If this action is taken it effectively means that coal seam gas mining could potentially be stopped on the North Coast if it is determined to be a risk to our water resources. Currently, there is no direct protection for resources under that national environmental law, but that is what we are going to change. We have done that at a federal level; let's see some action at a state level.

We know that the biggest risk is the National Party and their very pro-CSG agenda. We see that at a state level, and we see it at a federal level as well. It is a real concern that locals have in terms of the action that we see being taken locally. We will certainly continue to voice those concerns. We are very proud that we have our petition, and hundreds of people are signing it. When 10,000 people sign that petition to the state government, it will then force them to debate it. All of those members—Geoff Provest, Don Page, Thomas George and Chris Gulaptis—will have to go into parliament and talk about why they are not standing up for their communities. We will certainly continue our campaign to get the North Coast CSG free. We will keep the pressure on the state government. Both the member for Page and I were very pleased with our government's announcement and the action that we have been able to take, but we need now to have the state government get on board. We need to have them do their bit, and we will certainly keep the pressure up on that.