Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minster, Senator Wong. Yesterday Western Australian Premier Roger Cook met with the Prime Minister and other ministers on the latest Labor attempt on environmental reform, with media reporting that he said the government must deal with the resources sector's concerns and:

… we also need to make sure that industry continues to be encouraged.

Have Labor's left-wing, pro-Greens reform proposals failed Western Australian business and indeed all Australian businesses? They have been rejected by the Premier of Western Australia and business groups again.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator. It gives me the opportunity to again say to you that we want faster decisions for business and stronger protections for the environment. You have an opportunity here to do the right thing and engage in good faith with the government to pass this legislation. It was your leader who first commissioned Graeme Samuel to review the legislation. You know that it's needed. So, if I may suggest, instead of coming in here and complaining about the legislation, why don't you engage in good faith with delivering legislation which improves decisions and the speed of decisions for business and delivers stronger protections for the environment? Because that is in the national interest, and that is in the interest of all states and territories.

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

Senator O'Sullivan, first supplementary?

Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government claims to have met with the Premier and many stakeholders in developing the latest reforms, yet the very key issues they raised have not been addressed. What are the issues that have been raised, and why didn't Labor listen to the Premier and the business stakeholders and act on their concerns before drafting the legislation?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is interesting, isn't it? My recollection is that yesterday the Greens were trying to drum up an argument that big business was all for this. Now we have an argument that we are not talking to big business. I think that's right. We've got diametrically opposed narratives here. Perhaps, instead of everybody playing politics with their own supposed constituencies, it might be a good thing if a couple of the parties in this place other than the government looked to the national interest and passed legislation which you know is sorely needed.

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

Senator O'Sullivan, second supplementary?

Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia is becoming less attractive as a place for international investment. Australians are missing out on jobs, and living standards are going backwards. With the Western Australian Premier and businesses calling for significant amendments to the proposed reforms, will Labor be amending the legislation to fix the issues, or will it partner with the Greens to kill off Australia's productivity?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, we want to deliver protection for the environment and make better and faster decisions for business. I am advised, and I would remind those opposite, that the Premier said this:

We can produce legislation which both encourages industry and protects the environment, and I think now is the time for the parliament to act.

Why don't you do just that, Senator?

With that, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.