Senate debates
Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Motions
Environment
4:29 pm
Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I move:
That the Senate—
(a) notes the decision of the NSW Land and Environment Court to block the proposed Rocky Hill coal mine on the ground that it will contribute to climate change – Chief Judge Brian Preston, SC noted in his judgment that the proposed coal mine "will be a material source of greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to climate change";
(b) acknowledges the link between burning coal and climate change;
(c) recognises the power of grassroots community activism and the outstanding work by Groundswell Gloucester and the Environmental Defenders Office; and
(d) congratulates the community and Groundswell Gloucester on this landmark decision.
I seek leave to make a short statement.
Scott RyanMehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The New South Wales Land and Environment Court's landmark decision to reject the Rocky Hill coalmine is a huge win for the community and the environment. The fact that climate change was a key reason cited for this refusal gives me hope for the future.
The courage and grit of people like Julie Lyford, John Watts and all the grassroots community activists of Groundswell Gloucester inspire me and many others around the world and should remind everyone in this chamber of what real democracy looks like. They saved Gloucester from coal seam gas and have now stopped a huge open-cut coalmine from wrecking our environment and our climate. They are heroes!
4:30 pm
Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I seek leave to make a short statement.
Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
While Labor acknowledges the role of burning coal in increasing global CO2 emissions and in climate change and while we congratulate the Gloucester community for their responsible social activism, Labor cannot support this motion as it misrepresents the court's decision.
In the judgement, Judge Preston stated:
In the case of the Rocky Hill Coal Project, the aggregate GHG emissions over the life of the Project are sizeable, although the Project is not one of the largest coal mines in Australia. The Minister noted that the proposed production of the Rocky Hill mine appears to be about a third of the production of the average coal mine in NSW (Minister's closing submissions, [423]). Refusal of consent to the Project would prevent a meaningful amount of GHG emissions, although not the greater GHG emissions that would come from refusal of a larger coal mine. However, the better reason for refusal is the Project's poor environmental and social performance in relative terms. As I have found elsewhere in the judgment, the Project will have significant and unacceptable planning, visual and social impacts, which cannot be satisfactorily mitigated. The Project should be refused for these reasons alone.
(Time expired)
4:31 pm
Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I seek leave to make a short statement.
Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
This judgement is an issue for the New South Wales government and is still subject to appeal. Previous court decisions have reached contrary conclusions to this judgement. Climate change is a global-wide economic issue; it won't be tackled by case-by-case scrutiny of individual mining projects.
The government remains committed to the Paris agreement and to meeting its 2030 target to reduce emissions to 26 to 28 per cent below 2005 levels. The Morrison government has a comprehensive set of programs and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy efficiency.
Peter Georgiou (WA, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I seek leave to make a short statement.
Peter Georgiou (WA, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Australian coking coal is vital for the production of the world's toughest and most reliable steel that forms bridges, sporting grandstands, residential buildings and so many other structures that need to stand the test of time. Therefore, One Nation remains a strong supporter of coalmines in this country.
One Nation rejects the dangerous precedent set by the New South Wales Land and Environment Court in citing that climate change is the reason for stopping the Rocky Hill coalmine going ahead. We do, however, support the decision of the court, based on the mine's one-kilometre proximity to a retirement village.
In support of coalmines, their workers and quality infrastructure, One Nation will not support this anticoalmining motion by the Greens, who, again, will direct their preferences to Labor at the next election.
Question negatived.