Richard Colbeck Tasmania, Liberal Party
3:32 pm
My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator Watt. Minister, on multiple occasions last year, your predecessor as environment minister was asked by the coalition in question time and in OPDs to provide the number of hectares of native vegetation and wildlife habitat approved to be cleared for renewable energy projects in the years of the Albanese government. Naturally, this information goes to the very heart of the government's environmental credibility or otherwise. So, Minister, why to this day has the government still refused to release that data?
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water
3:33 pm
I think it's interesting that Senator Colbeck is asking this question because I remember Senator Colbeck calling for the approval of the Robbins Island wind farm in Tasmania, so I thought Senator Colbeck was a supporter of renewables, but maybe he's now falling into line with the National Party-led coalition to oppose net zero and oppose renewables. Senator Colbeck's question goes to matters prior to me taking on this role. I can't shed any further light in answer to his question.
Richard Colbeck Tasmania, Liberal Party
3:34 pm
Minister, is it the case the Albanese government has been so reckless that it doesn't actually know how much land and wildlife habitat has been approved for clearance for renewable projects under its watch? Or is it, as seems more likely, that the primary reason the government has continued to refuse to provide figures is that it knows the numbers would further expose the complete environmental hypocrisy at the centre of its renewables agenda?
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water
It's neither of those things.
Richard Colbeck Tasmania, Liberal Party
The coalition calculated at the time of the election in May this year that at least a whopping 9.75 billion square metres of land had been approved for clearance for renewable projects by Ms Plibersek, of which well over 6.53 billion square metres had a known disturbance footprint. Does the minister have the latest updates of those figures to provide to the Senate, or will he, yet again, like on so many occasions under this government, fail the accountability and transparency test?
Murray Watt Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water
3:35 pm
No, I don't have those figures.
Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.