Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator Watt. Over the weekend we saw the National Party abandon future generations of Australians when they dumped net zero and undermined Australia's relationship with our region. You have repeatedly said that you don't mind who you do a deal with when it comes to your environment laws. Really? You don't care? You're prepared to do a deal with the climate-denying environmental wreckers of the coalition, aren't you? What does that say, Minister, about the principles of your government—that you're prepared to do a deal with these climate deniers, environmental wreckers? What does that say about the principles of the Labor Party?

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

As I said last week, Senator Hanson-Young, I have one very easy suggestion for any member of the Greens party who doesn't want to see us pass these laws with the support of the coalition. That's that the Green party could actually back Labor to achieve environmental reform not continue the blocking that we saw from you in the last term where you blocked housing, where you blocked environmental reform and where you teamed up with the coalition to do it. How about you stand up for the environment and back environmental reform in the way that we're putting forward?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, first supplementary?

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, I've just listened carefully to your answer. Your laws have been written to appease the climate-wrecking, environment-wrecking coalition and their mates in the fossil fuel industry. What now do you think about the risk that these on the other side pose to Australia's renewable energy industry and investment?

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

I obviously keep reading different newspapers to the Greens party, because I don't see the mining companies jumping for joy about our reforms, because they can see that we are actually requiring stronger environmental standards in these laws than currently exist. That's one of the reasons why—silly me!—I would have thought the Greens party might support laws that actually deliver gains for the environment. But of course what we know about the Greens party is that they're more about the politics than the outcome.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, second supplementary?

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Through you, President: Minister, do your laws make it easier and cheaper for coal and gas to get approved?

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

What our laws do is deliver national environmental standards for the first time we've seen in Australian law. What our laws do is lift the penalties on business when they breach the law when it comes to the environment. What our laws do is require proponents by law to avoid and mitigate environmental impacts before they offset their environment, and what our laws do is require proponents of projects to deliver a net gain for the environmental offsets. There are just four reasons of the many reasons why the Greens should support these laws, but we know they're always more interested in grandstanding.