Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the so-called minister for the environment, Senator Watt.

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

Senator McKim, withdraw that please.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do withdraw that. Minister, these questions are in regard to your rewrites of Australia's environment laws that have got big polluters like BHP and Chevron so excited they are literally begging for them to be passed this year. The Samuel review recommended removing the exemption for native forest logging done under an RFA. Our forests are beautiful and complex ecosystems that are home to threatened species like the koala and the swift parrot. They are precious Aboriginal cultural heritage. They are massive banks of carbon that help in the fight against climate breakdown. Minister, why did you ignore Professor Samuel's recommendation? Why are you not scrapping the RFA loophole, or, even better, why are you not ending the loss-making, environmentally catastrophic native forest logging industry once and for all?

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

We've said that we remain committed to implementing Graeme Samuel's recommendation that the national environmental standards should be applied to regional forestry agreements. We've said we're committed to doing that, and we remain committed to doing that.

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

Senator McKim, first supplementary?

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, Professor Samuel recommended scrapping the loophole. Minister, deforestation is also driven by the continuous use exemption for land clearing, which, coupled with underenforcement of illegal land clearing, has resulted in about one million hectares of land cleared in Queensland alone since Labor took office. Why is your government not closing that gaping loophole?

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

Because our priority is passing reforms based on Graeme Samuel's recommendations, and that should be the Greens' priority as well.

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

Senator McKim, second supplementary?

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Your priority, Minister, should actually be protecting the environment. That's your job, and that's what you should be doing. Minister, in your entire package you haven't mentioned the F-word once—forests. Why are you so scared to mention forests, let alone do anything to rein in the massive carbon emissions and biodiversity loss caused by native forest logging and by land clearing?

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

Well, I'm so scared about using the word 'forest' that in this very answer I mentioned that we remain committed to applying national environmental standards to regional forestry agreements. I'm so scared about it that I said it in Senate estimates and I've said it several times since becoming the minister. I'll say it one more time: we will be applying the national environmental standards to forests.