Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) that the New South Wales (NSW) government has included the former IBM site at 55 Coonara Avenue West Pennant Hills in its planning acceleration program, despite the proposal for rezoning from Business to Residential and Environmental use being opposed by the Hills Shire Council and Hornsby Shire Council,

(ii) that the proposal for high-density residential development on the site requires the removal of 2,000 trees, including Blue Gum High Forest and Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion, both of which are listed as a critically endangered ecological communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth),

(iii) the sustained opposition of local residents, civic associations, environmentalists and elected councillors to the development,

(iv) that the NSW Natural Resource Commission has identified the Sydney Basin Bioregion as being at "high biodiversity risk", and

(v) that land clearing has turned Australia into a global deforestation hot-spot and is exacerbating the climate emergency;

(b) opposes the destruction of ecological communities listed as critically endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth), and

(c) calls on the NSW Government to reject Mirvac's rezoning application and instead convert the Cumberland State Forest and adjacent forest at 55 Coonara Ave West Pennant Hills into national park.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a very short statement.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for a very short time.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a state matter, and the Commonwealth EPBC Act already provides for protection for threatened ecological communities.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor won't be supporting this motion. We support the upholding of the EPBC Act protections on all matters, including for threatened species. We don't believe the Greens should seek to use Senate motions to attempt to intervene in proper consideration of projects and matters under the act; nor are the Greens, or should the Greens be considered, the arbiter of these matters.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that general business notice of motion No. 661, standing in the name of Senator Faruqi, be agreed to.