Lisa Darmanin (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water, Minister Watt. Last year, the government passed historic reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to better protect the environment and to improve productivity. A key part of that was speeding up approvals in areas of national priority like housing and renewable energy. Can the minister please explain how the government is supporting these law changes.

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

I thank Senator Darmanin, who I know is a strong supporter of those environmental laws that we passed last year despite the opposition of those opposite. For the past 25 years, Australia's environmental laws were broken. For the whole 10 years of the former coalition government, those laws were stifling approvals for key projects in areas of national priority. Importantly, they also weren't protecting the environment. We knew that major legislative change was required to deal with the substance of this issue. In November, last year we did just that. We did what the coalition couldn't do and passed a set of laws that got the balance right.

Our laws are designed to better protect the environment and unlock investment by speeding up approvals. Yesterday, we announced that new funding will be included in tonight's budget to put these laws to work. We will invest more than $500 million to streamline environmental approvals, unlocking more housing, more renewables and more minerals projects and helping proponents get a faster yes or a faster no. That's a win-win for our economy and our precious natural environment. It includes more than $250 million over two years, plus ongoing funding, to stand up and support the operation of Australia's first-ever national EPA and independent environmental regulator from 1 July. (Time expired)

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

Senator Darmanin, first supplementary?

Lisa Darmanin (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Housing was also a big focus of last year's economic roundtable and clearly remains a big focus of government to this day. During the roundtable, it was announced that a new strike team would be established to clear the backlog of housing approvals in the system and to fast-track new assessments. Can the minister update the Senate on the progress the strike team has made since the roundtable?

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

I know Senator Wong is a very big supporter of the housing strike team, and that is paving the way for the development of thousands of new homes for Australian families. Since being announced in late August last year, the strike team has ticked off more than 20,000 homes under national environmental law. In total, that team has given the green light to 28 projects for housing across the country, including 17 metropolitan developments and 11 regional developments. We're on track to deliver on our goal of assessing 26,000 new homes by July this year.

The only strike team that we know exists on the other side of this chamber, though, is the one aimed at each other after the catastrophic result for the coalition in the Farrer by-election. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, housing spokesman Senator Andrew Bragg said the Liberal Party 'deserved to be' in its position because it had done 'no serious policy work for about a decade', and he suggested that Tony Abbott's likely installation as party president would hurt the coalition with younger voters. There are a lot more quotes to go, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow for a few more of them to come out.

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

Senator Darmanin, second supplementary?

Lisa Darmanin (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The changes to the EPBC Act, including the speeding up of assessments and approvals, is certainly of particular interest to both the business sector and environmental groups. Can the minister provide an update on the level of support for the law changes since they were passed?

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

It would be my pleasure, Senator Darmanin. Yesterday's announcement of the new funding for faster approvals was welcomed by everyone, from the housing institute of Australia to the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation—but not a peep from the coalition or its shadow housing and environment spokesperson, Senator Bragg. That's probably because he's still trying to work out whether he supports a coalition with One Nation or not. But he isn't without ideas, even ones from 30 years ago. Not content with losing the last election and suffering a humiliating loss in the Farrer by-election, Senator Bragg wants to reheat the Liberals' losing Fightback! document from the early 1990s. That was the one that wanted to cut Medicare and cut social services but didn't know if it wanted to cut up a cake or not. Last week, on Radio National, Senator Bragg said:

… I think we need to have a document that looks in some way like Fightback! did …

The interviewer, Sally Sara, said:

You were talking about Fightback! briefly, is that a document that you think still has some value?

Senator Bragg said:

Well I mean something like that is going to be needed because otherwise what's the point?

So the only ideas he's got are from 30 years ago. They lost then, and they will lose again.

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 notice.