Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Waters for her question, although I do not necessarily accept, on face value, a number of the claims and assertions that were made by Senator Waters during that question. I do, however, acknowledge that Senator Waters indicated that parts of Queensland, parts of New South Wales, parts of Australia are doing it tough from drought conditions at present. Parts of Australia are doing it tough in terms of not experiencing or getting the benefits of the economic growth that Australia overall is enjoying. That, of course, is one of the reasons why the coalition government firmly welcomes proposals that create investment in jobs and opportunities in regional Australia. We want to see regional Australia get the benefits of investments across a whole range of different industries.

In relation to the China Stone coalmine project that my colleague Senator Canavan was just discussing, it is correct that a proposal for this mine, adjacent to another proposal for the Carmichael coalmine, has been put forward. The mine is undergoing a comprehensive assessment for its impacts on listed threatened species and water resources, which I know were a feature of Senator Waters' question, as is required by the EPBC Act. The Queensland Coordinator-General released their evaluation report on the environmental impact statement on 22 November 2018. The Coordinator-General's report will also be used as an approval decision under the EPBC Act, under the standard accredited assessment processes. The Department of the Environment and Energy is now reviewing the evaluation report to prepare a recommendation on whether or not approval for the proposal should also be granted under the EPBC Act. This decision is due on 29 January and will, of course, receive all of the usual thorough expert advice to inform its decision-making. Our government makes sure that we apply strict and robust environmental conditions, but we also work to ensure that projects can be facilitated wherever possible to ensure that communities get the job and investment opportunities they deserve. (Time expired)