Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his contribution and I share his particular interest and concern for our fishing industry. I can confirm that this bill only relates to petroleum titles and, indeed, only to the renewal or extension of petroleum titles and not to their original designation. It only relates to an issue where petroleum titles existed in an area before a Commonwealth marine reserve came into force or overlapped with an area when a Commonwealth marine reserve area came into force. As you would have seen in other contributions in this debate, any renewal or extension of those originally designated petroleum titles does require the approval of the Minister for the Environment. That has not happened over the period from 2008 until late last year, and this bill seeks to rectify the issues with those renewals and extensions, but only for petroleum titles. It does not affect other activities that may occur in Commonwealth waters or our offshore waters including those relating to fishing.

If I can respond a little to the senator's contribution about the proud record of the coalition government in protecting the environment. As Senator Macdonald would know, it was a coalition government that introduced the EPBC Act and, of course, the requirement in section 359 for the Minister for the Environment to approve extensions or renewals for the petroleum titles is a requirement introduced by a coalition government. It is regrettable that that particular requirement has not been adhered to in these cases over this period of time involving both Labor and coalition governments, but we are committed to fixing it and, of course, we are committed to the proper environmental management of our offshore waters, including making sure that we support environmentally sustainable activities such as fishing, that any newly designated marine reserves—I know the senator's interest in the review of Commonwealth marine reserves in his area—are properly assessed, and that we allow economic activities that are in concord with the protection of a strong environment and a protected Great Barrier Reef, in the case near Senator Macdonald's territory.