Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water. How is the Albanese Labor government acting to protect and restore nature while rewarding landholders is for their good environmental work? What has been the response?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Wills for his question and for his support for the Nature Repair Market Bill, which passed through the House of Representatives last night. This is a bill that's designed to make it easier for Australian businesses, individuals and philanthropists to invest in projects like planting trees, restoring stream banks, getting rid of feral species, dealing with weeds on farmers' properties and making our land, our beaches and our seas more resilient. It's great for farmers, for First Nations communities and for other landholders that have already been doing this work on their land, protecting and restoring nature. It's a way of getting more money into nature restoration.

No government has done more for the environment or for climate change than this government. No government has invested more in the environment and the Albanese Labor government. This project is not designed to replace government effort but to enhance it, to join with it to better improve nature. That's why the World Wildlife Fund, for example, have said they support initiatives that recognise and reward real improvements in conservation outcomes. It's why it's supported by the Northern Land Council, Landcare, Farmers for Climate Action, the Australian Land Conservation Alliance and the National Farmers Federation.

I thank Labor MPs and those on the crossbench that worked so constructively to pass this legislation, but I am perplexed that, once again, we have the coalition teaming up with the Greens political party to block action to protect nature. On the one hand, the National Party have been saying that this is their proudest achievement. On the other hand, we've got the Greens, who are saying, 'Please invest more in nature; where's the money?' Here they had an opportunity to direct money into the hands of farmers and regional communities and to support more investment in nature, and what did we see instead? We had the National Party voting against money for farmers and the Greens political party voting against investment in the environment. It is extraordinary that they have teamed up once again to say no, because they are addicted to saying no. Instead, please, in the Senate reconsider your position, work constructively with us, as the other members of the crossbench did, and let's see farmers, native title holders and private landholders better rewarded for their protection of nature.