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

I move:

At the end of the motion, add: ", and:

(a) the provisions of the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 and related bills be referred immediately to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 24 November 2025;

(b) the provisions of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation) Bill 2025 and a related bill not be referred to a committee;

(c) the Criminal Code Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Bill 2025 not be referred to a committee; and

(d) the provisions of the Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2025 not be referred to a committee.

For those who haven't seen it, the amendment that the government is moving to this report from the Selection of Bills Committee seeks to refer immediately to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee the provisions of the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, which has just been introduced into the House of Representatives. We're seeking a report from that committee by 24 November 2025. There are a number of other amendments that we're moving, but I'll just speak to the amendments to the EPBC legislation.

Unfortunately, the 'no-alition' is back—the 'no-alition' that slowed down, got in the way of, blocked and obstructed housing reform, environmental reform, health measures and all sorts of other reforms that the Albanese government sought to achieve in our first term. They enjoyed the experience so much that they've decided to do it all over again when it comes to environmental reform. I am surprised that they enjoyed the 'no-alition' as much as it appears they did, because the Australian people didn't enjoy it very much. The Australian people had their say about the 'no-alition' at the last federal election, where we saw both the coalition and the Greens pay an electoral price for the 'no-alition' and for consistently obstructing and blocking progress that the Albanese government was seeking to achieve.

I have made no secret of the fact that we believe, and I believe, the Australian people want changes and amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act made now—not in another five years, not in another few months, not when we get around to it after the 'no-alition' breaks up temporarily, but now. The reason we need to act now and have a Senate committee report come back enabling debate of this bill in the last sitting week of the year is that, with every day, every month and every year that the 'no-alition' blocks these reforms, we see our natural environment decline and we see housing, renewables and other important projects held up in the red tape of the provisions of the current act that we are seeking to amend.

The bills that we have introduced into the House of Representatives today put forward a balanced package of reform that deliver real gains for nature and for approvals processes that business is desperately seeking. The reforms in the bills also dramatically improve the transparency and accountability of decision-making when it comes to the environment in this country, in particular through the creation of Australia's first-ever National Environment Protection Agency—a proud Labor achievement and something that we have taken to two federal elections in a row and that has been endorsed by the Australian people two elections in a row but that has been blocked, yet again, by the 'no-alition' of the coalition and the Greens.

It's about time that the coalition and the Greens recognise that continued frustration of these reforms is leading to a decline in nature. The Greens Party—well, some of them—say that their reason for being is to protect the environment. Some of them say it's just about having protests outside electorate offices, but some do say that their reason for being is to protect the environment. They have an opportunity to do that right now with the Environment Protection Reform Bill, which has been introduced into the House and which we're seeking to have referred to a Senate inquiry to report back by the last sitting week so that we can get on with it and pass these reforms.

The coalition have an opportunity to listen to the voices of business—who they say back them, but, half the time I'm not really sure that's right—who desperately want changes made to the processes that are strangling investment, strangling productivity, strangling housing developments and strangling renewable energy and other economic projects. This week we saw the business community oppose the actions by the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, when she called for the bill to be split. She couldn't even get business groups to back her in on that. She was trying to split a bill to avoid a split in her own party room. That's what we saw from Sussan Ley this week.

We have the opportunity to move now. It is five years since Graeme Samuel tabled his review for the then environment minister, Sussan Ley, which recommended changes for nature and changes for business. It has been five years. Since then, we've been spinning wheels and seeing attempt after attempt to pass these laws blocked by the 'no-alition'—and they're back at it. We should get on with it and we should get a Senate inquiry happening now.