Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water, Minister Watt. This week the Senate has a chance to pass landmark reforms to our nation's environment laws that not only will better protect the environment but also will make our economy more productive. Can the minister outline for the Senate how the government's reforms will improve the environment and protect it for future generations?

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

Thank you, Senator Cox. I would love to do that. This is the week that the federal parliament needs to finally pass important and much needed reforms to our national environment laws.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why? What's the rush?

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

It's interesting, Senator Duniam, that most of the people over there seem to think that it's not necessary to pass these reforms. We might have a little chat about that later. It is now over five years since Professor Graeme Samuel tabled his blueprint for reform of these laws. It's over five years since Professor Samuel told us that our national environmental laws are fundamentally broken and that they are failing the environment, failing business and failing the general community. So this week it's critical that this parliament comes together to pass reforms to these laws that will deliver real gains for the environment—gains like creating the first ever national Environmental Protection Agency to be a tough cop on the beat, the establishment of National Environmental Standards and the inclusion of a net gain principle into the environmental offsets regime.

The government are very clear about our position on these laws. We've introduced a set of reforms that have now passed the House of Representatives, so the choice is now sitting with the coalition and the Greens to decide whether they want to work cooperatively with the government to pass these reforms. Of course, the other option that the coalition and the Greens have is that they sit on the sidelines, throwing rocks, while their political opponents come and work with us instead. I've made very clear that these reforms are going through this week, and it's either going to be with you or it's going to be with you. It's up to you. If you sit on the sidelines, we go with them. If you sit on the sidelines, we'll go with you. Just have a little think about that as the week rolls on. We all know how it worked out for both these characters over the last federal election when they were sitting on the sidelines, throwing rocks and blocking progress. They went backwards, and the Australian people had their say.

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

Order! Senator Smith! Minister Watt! And Senator Duniam! Senator Cox, first supplementary?

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Improving these laws is not only going to be better for environment but will also boost productivity by speeding up approvals for key projects. It will also help address some of the longstanding issues in our society, particularly the supply of more housing and the rollout of more renewable energy projects. How will these reforms deal with these issues, and what will the cost be to the economy if these laws are in fact not passed this week?

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

We saw in answer the primary question a number of coalition members asking what the rush is, so perhaps they might want to listen to this answer. A key focus of our reforms is removing the duplication in the federal and state approvals and assessments systems for projects, all while maintaining strong environmental standards. I spoke in the previous answer about the benefits for the environment in these reforms, and our laws will also enhance our ability to enter bilateral agreements with a new, streamlined assessment pathway and the greater use of regional planning to identify upfront go zones and no-go zones for development in a particular region. These reforms are designed to speed up the delivery of the homes, renewables and other economic projects that we desperately need. That's because, under the current laws that we're seeking to reform, we've seen project approval times blow out from a median timeframe of 48 weeks at the turn of the century to 118 weeks now. That's why we need to move on these reforms—to get the homes, renewables and other projects we need—and we need to do it this week.

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

Senator Cox, second supplementary?

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The EPBC Act has been around for more than 25 years, and it's been five years since an independent review into the act recommended sweeping changes, most of which have been dealt with in your proposed reforms. The issues with these laws have been well ventilated and are well understood by the community, so why is it so important that these laws are passed by the Senate this week? What are the risks if this is delayed yet again?

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

Thanks, Senator Cox. Not only has it been five years since we had the Samuel review handed down to the then environment minister Sussan Ley that provided his recommendations but it has been 2½ decades since these laws came into effect, and they haven't been properly updated since. In that time, we've seen our natural environment go backwards—

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

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Senator McKenzie?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have a point of order under standing order 73(1), questions applied to a piece of legislation that's in front of a committee.

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

The minister can talk about the bill because the bill hasn't been introduced yet. Minister, please continue.

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

Oh, well! We'll just have to talk about these environmental reforms that are going to speed up approvals for businesses and improve protections for the environment. In the last five years since we saw Graeme Samuel's review provided to Sussan Ley we've seen our natural environment go backwards and we've seen really important projects like housing developments, renewables and other projects as well held up by the red tape which exists under the current laws, and we need to change that. Every day we delay—if we push these reforms back by another few months or another couple of years, what will happen is the environment will keep going backwards, and we'll keep seeing those important projects held up. That will be on the heads of every coalition and Greens senator in this place if they fail to work with us to pass the reform— (Time expired)

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

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