Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Hanson-Young. The government is very committed to passing reforms to our environmental laws, and we would welcome support from either side of this chamber to do this. We well remember that when the government tried to amend our environmental laws prior to the election, we saw the 'no-alition' get back together, as they usually do, to block those reforms from going through. Senator Hanson-Young, that may well be a question worth putting to your own party room to ask, 'Are you prepared to work with Labor to pass these reforms?' Equally, is the coalition prepared to work with Labor to pass these reforms?

There's one thing I do agree with Senator Hanson-Young on in this matter, which is that our environmental laws as they currently stand are fundamentally broken. Graeme Samuel was appointed by the then environment minister Ms Ley, the now opposition leader, nearly five years ago, and he handed down a report which made recommendations founded on the finding that our environmental laws are not working for business and they're certainly not working for our environment.

In that five-year period, we've seen businesses held up with their investments through the current processes, and, more than anything, we've seen our environment suffer from the lack of protection in our current laws.

I've said publicly that we are open to working with either or both the coalition and the Greens when it comes to passing these reforms. We want to pass reforms that include strong environmental protections, quicker and more efficient approvals and assessments, and more transparency when it comes to environmental regulation.

Senator Hanson-Young, I note that, while I've been answering your question, your colleagues have been interjecting. Again, I think it points to the fact that there's a lot of work to do within the Greens party room to determine whether you're actually prepared to work with the government to pass these reforms or whether you follow your past actions of opposing our environmental laws in the last parliament, opposing the CPRS back in the Rudd-Gillard government. You've got a very good track record of stopping Labor making environmental reform— (Time expired)