Fatima Payman (WA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Picture this scenario. I want to have pizza for dinner from a bougie place in Fremantle where the woodfired pizza cost $39 but I only have $25. I ask my friends to pitch in, and they agree on one condition—that they get a slice. Outrageous, I think. I refuse, they walk away and I go home hungry. Now, the people watching at home may think this sounds stubborn. Well, it is. And it's exactly how the government handled the nature-positive bills, refusing to compromise, rejecting support and leaving the environment and economy worse off.

The Albanese Labor government drafted the laws that neither industry groups nor environmental groups were happy with. We should call this what it is: a failure of political will. Instead of standing firm and delivering real environmental reform, Labor buckled under pressure and left us with laws that satisfy no-one. This is the same tired game we see across so many critical issues—political calculations over policy, short-term survival over long-term solutions. While they stall, delay and water down reforms, WA is missing out on the investment, certainty and job opportunities that should be flowing into renewable energy, environmental restoration and sustainable industries.

The world is moving forward but this government is standing still, caught between its promises and its political fears. By refusing to negotiate and insisting that it's their way or the highway, we are stuck with the current environmental laws that the Samuel review found took too long to assess projects for industry and could not achieve good outcomes for the environment. Well, we shall see the product of this Blairite, Third Way fence-sitting at the election.