Kimberley Kitching (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Labor opposes these amendments. The amendments in schedule 2 of the bill are largely administrative and technical in nature. They are designed to increase efficiencies for all parties, including traditional owners. The land councils have given evidence that, rather than these changes being proposed by mining companies, these changes have been put forward by traditional owners themselves to avoid the frustration of having to attend multiple meetings when they have already made their views clear to a land council. In other words, they were requested by traditional owners, not by miners. Labor respects the wishes of traditional owners. Importantly, none of these changes dilute the protections in the act for traditional owners. They maintain the right to a veto. That is one of the strongest protections of its kind in the country.