Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to rise to speak on this important matter before the Senate. As Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, I've had the chance to see the important work that the Albanese Labor government is doing in delivering protection for Australia's unique landscape and environment. It has been a pleasure to work with the new Minister for the Environment and Water. Despite the objections at the other end of the chamber, she is doing an incredible job of managing the very difficult processes around environmental protections and approvals and of making sure that in our budget we deliver for the environment. It was, of course, a Labor government that created the largest network of marine parks in the world, and they were Labor governments in office that delivered conservation agendas that have protected some of our most treasured environmental assets—for example, the Daintree, in my home state.

We know all too well that our natural environment and unique flora and fauna are in crisis. It is true that under the last government the environment absolutely copped it, not just in a real way but in a reputational way as well. We know that, through the Senate, there were many attempts to deal with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and that in those negotiations there were attempts by the previous government to water it down. Finally, there is a Labor government and a Labor environment minister who are willing to work to protect the environment, protect native species and protect the Great Barrier Reef. I'm very proud of what we managed to deliver in the budget last night to protect the environment.

This bill, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Save the Koala) Bill 2021, deals with environmental protection. It deals with listings and the way that approvals are made under the EPBC Act. We know that the environmental laws that we have right now have an established legal framework to manage and protect all threatened species and ecological communities as matters of national environmental significance, and that includes the koala. In February this year, koalas were listed as endangered under the act for the combined populations across the east coast, where they are at most risk. Nobody wants to see this happen; nobody wants to see a listing of this kind, but it is really important to understand that a listing under the act, which has been referred to today in such a misleading way, does actually provide an opportunity for assessments to be made around risks for that species. As a result, koalas have comprehensive recovery plans in place, and that is the same, in fact, for every native species. I know the koala is incredibly important and popular and iconic, but we want to make sure every native species that is at risk is dealt with in the same way and is protected under the act.

Last night's budget showed that the Labor government is making significant investment in the protection and conservation of our environment and, of course, of koalas, with $76 million towards koala conservation, including a new commitment of $24.5 under the new Saving Native Species plan, which will fund habitat restoration, threat management and monitoring and health initiatives. The budget also included funding for a national koala recovery team, which has been convened to guide and track the implementation of the recovery plan, because we know the recovery plan on its own will not do the hard work of delivering protection, so we are funding a national recovery team. They held their first meeting on 7 October. They are already getting on with the job, and we are looking forward to seeing the important work that they do.

It is really important to understand that what this bill proposes is to change our environmental laws to afford preferential treatment for koalas over other species, and that is something that we need to consider. I know that the Leadbeater's possum and the loggerhead turtle are other favourites of people in this place and in the community, but we consider that all of those species should be dealt with in the same way under the act. That's why it is important to understand how this legislation would actually impact powers and responsibilities under the EPBC Act.

Labor's budget last night also delivered for the environment more broadly. I think it is important to understand, in the context of this debate—as, from time to time, we see bills from the Greens—that when you are a party of government you can deliver a budget that delivers for the environment. It's all well and good to come in here with private members' bills that seek to tinker around the edges of environmental laws and seek to do things that, practically, would be very difficult to deliver. But, when you are a party of government—when the Labor Party is in government—we deliver real investment for the environment and protection that is funded and that can be delivered on the ground. That is an incredibly important thing to understand in the context of this debate.

Under Labor, the environment is back on the agenda. I was so pleased to see so much investment in the budget last night under 'climate change'—a new phrase, for those opposite, in the budget—but also for the environment more broadly. Australians can see the difference. People are telling me it's the breath of fresh air our nation desperately needs. We saw that last night. The budget delivers $1.8 billion in funding for the environment. This is a down payment on our commitment to prioritise the environment after almost a decade of neglect under the former government.

The Australian government is delivering on its election promises as well. Unlike those opposite, we don't just have media releases and make announcements; we actually deliver on our promises. There are a range of targeted investments to reverse the decline from the previous government. In the budget this year the Australian government builds on its commitments, and this is a very important investment with regard to the debate we're having today around the EPBC Act.

We have included funding in this budget to respond to the Samuel review of the EPBC Act. We know it was released a few years ago. It was put on the shelf and ignored by those opposite. We will be responding to that review. We have funded a response to that review to make sure that it can be delivered.

We can't fix a decade of Liberal environmental damage overnight. We can't undo the recklessness of having no consistent energy policy over 10 years. We can't undo the years and years of internal chaos around whether climate change is even real. We can't undo overnight the lack of investment and certainty around climate change and renewable energy. But we can deliver a budget that is focused on getting things moving and hitting the ground running.

We have higher ambition when it comes to climate change, a clearer path to net zero and a pathway to no new extinctions. We are cracking down on gases that are bad for the ozone layer. We have new laws that better protect the environment and give businesses the ability to make quicker and clearer decisions—something that people have been crying out for. We have an environmental protection agency which will be the top cop on the beat to enforce those laws—something those opposite refused to do when they were in government. And we have made a commitment to protect 30 per cent of our land and 30 per cent of the oceans by 2030. We've announced a new nature repair market to reward farmers and other landholders for their work in restoring and protecting the environment. We are working with the agricultural sector, who are some of the people telling us that we need to take action on climate change and deliver lasting reform when it comes to environmental protections. We've committed to expanding blue carbon projects—more mangroves and seagrasses, making our oceans cleaner and getting carbon out of the atmosphere—reducing problematic plastic, developing environmentally friendly plastic and alternatives, and making recycling easier for families and businesses.

There is more work to be done, but it would be wrong for anyone to come into this place and use this bill as an opportunity to attack the current government or the current environment minister on her commitment and our government's commitment to the environment and to delivering real protection for the environment and real investment. Something we can do and something that Labor governments always do is stand up for the environment. There's more that we can do, but we are getting on with the job.

In addition to this investment it has been fantastic to see the work that we are doing on the ground with Landcare rangers. We are investing $90 million over six years to employ and upskill 1,000 Landcare rangers to help us conserve and restore the environment. We are also making sure that we are investing in actions for threatened species, places and recovery activities. There is $224 million in the budget for that action.

Of course I am incredibly proud of the investment that we are making to protect and restore the Great Barrier Reef. That includes $1.2 billion—and $204 million of that is new funding—to protect the Great Barrier Reef. We know that, under the last government, the reef—one of the biggest economic drivers in regional Queensland—was put at real and reputational risk. That is very clear. We know that. No amount of obfuscating from those opposite would—