Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I am obviously disappointed that neither the coalition nor the government are supporting an amendment that is designed to ensure sufficient and regular maintenance of flow and to ensure that the essential ecosystem functions throughout the basin are maintained. I think it is a critical amendment for ensuring that ecosystems are protected. Needless to say, we are extremely disappointed that they are not getting supported. Again, I remind this place that this is from strong recommendations from people that know about ecosystem health and know what is needed to protect those ecosystems. I remind the chamber that 80 to 90 per cent of the wetlands in the basin have already been lost. We are talking about trying to protect those remaining few original wetlands in the basin. It is a shame that the coalition and the government are not prepared to support amendments that seek to ensure their health.

Question negatived.

by leave—I move Greens amendments (4), (5) and (11) on sheet 5629:

(4)    Schedule 2, page 293 (after line 7), after item 45, insert:

45C  Subsection 21(1)

Repeal the subsection (not including the heading), substitute:

        (1)    The Basin Plan (including any environmental watering plan or water quality and salinity management plan included in the Basin Plan) must be prepared so as to provide for giving effect (to the extent to which they are relevant to the use and management of the Basin water resources) to:

             (a)    relevant international agreements; and

             (b)    the Australian Ramsar management principles as prescribed by section 335 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; and

             (c)    plans and strategies developed for implementing commitments under relevant Agreements in accordance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 including but not limited to:

                   (i)    any management plans for a Ramsar wetland under section 328 or section 333 of that Act; and

                  (ii)    any recovery plan or threat abatement plan prepared by the Commonwealth under Chapter 5 of that Act or any recovery plan or threat abatement plan developed by a State or Territory; and

                 (iii)    the China Australia and Japan Migratory Birds agreements and any wildlife conservation plans under section 285 of that Act.

(5)    Schedule 2, page 293 (after line 7), after item 45, insert:

45D  At the end of paragraph 21(2)(a)

Add:

                 (iii)    the need to take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or minimise the causes of climate change and mitigate its adverse effects; and

                 (iv)    the need for sustainable management, conservation and enhancement of sinks and reservoirs of all greenhouse gases including biomass, forests and oceans as well as other terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems; and

                  (v)    the need for adaptation to the impacts of climate change including appropriate and integrated plans for water resources and agriculture; and

(11)  Schedule 2, page 301 (after line 1), after item 69, insert:

69A  At the end of section 55

Add:

        (4)    A water resource plan must be prepared to give effect (to the extent to which they are relevant to the use and management of the Basin water resources) to:

             (a)    relevant international agreements; and

             (b)    the Australian Ramsar management principles as prescribed by section 335 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; and

             (c)    plans and strategies developed for implementing commitments under relevant Agreements in accordance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 including but not limited to:

                   (i)    any management plans for a Ramsar wetland under section 328 or section 333 of that Act; and

                  (ii)    any recovery plan or threat abatement plan prepared by the Commonwealth under Chapter 5 of that Act or any recovery plan or threat abatement plan developed by a State or Territory; and

                 (iii)    the China Australia and Japan Migratory Birds agreements and any wildlife conservation plans under section 285 of that Act.

These amendments ensure that existing environmental agreements and commitments can be incorporated into the Basin Plan and be consistent with the Basin Plan. The amendments seek to ensure that Australian Ramsar management principles—for example, as prescribed by the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act—and other plans and strategies are in fact integrated so that the Basin Plan and this act work in an integrated manner with the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The amendments ensure that the Basin Plan and the water resources plan are consistent and give effect not only to the relevant international agreements but also to plans and strategies developed by implementing those commitments under the EPBC Act. I reiterate that these amendments are recommended by scientists and those experts in environmental protection who believe that, while there are provisions in the existing Water Act to attempt to integrate these, it does not sufficiently integrate both the provisions under the EPBC Act and requirements under international conventions to ensure Ramsar management of these wetlands, of which there are 17 in the basin. We do not believe that there are sufficient mechanisms in the current Water Act to ensure that that happens, so we have sought to improve the Water Act by ensuring better integration between the Basin Plan and such environmental agreements that we are signatories to.