Coalition Sets Forth Demands as Environmental Negotiations Intensify

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The Coalition is urging Labor to adopt its “sensible” demands for environmental law reform, setting the stage for a showdown over the issue in the final week of parliament.

Labor is determined to deliver the largest reform to Australia’s environmental laws in 26 years by Christmas, requiring either the support of the Coalition or the Greens in the Senate.

The ongoing Senate inquiry into the legislation, launched last week, has heard that the laws need more clarity for business and the environment, with stakeholders advising the government not to rush.

Opposition leader Sussan Ley is offering Environment Minister Murray Watt a lifeline, stating the reforms can still pass next week if the Coalition’s demands are met.

She stated, “If they are adopted, then we will be supportive of legislation next week.”

“However, if the government rejects sensible suggestions and chooses to put jobs at risk, then we will vote against them, with an open mind to revisit negotiations next year.

“We remain constructive and are seeking a path through … But Labor shouldn’t be rash — the Parliament cannot rush to failure here.”

Angie Bell, the Opposition’s environment spokesperson, has consistently emphasized that the Coalition has participated in “good faith negotiations.” However, she contends that the proposed laws are “unworkable,” claiming they hinder both productivity and investment.

On the other hand, the Greens have voiced their criticism, pointing out that the laws fall short by not terminating native forest logging. Additionally, they are dissatisfied with the absence of a climate trigger, which would mandate that projects account for their impact on climate change.

The Opposition is advocating for a clear and practical definition of the unacceptable impact test for high-polluting projects. They argue that the current wording is overly complex, leading to the potential for excessive rejections.

Under the laws, Watt wants to establish the nation’s first-ever National Environmental Protection Agency, tasked with ensuring compliance.

However, the Coalition argues that any powers related to the assessment or approval of projects must remain with the minister, not a regulator.

Concerns have also been raised about the elimination of existing streamlined pathways for project approvals, alongside the introduction of new emissions reporting requirements.

Similarly, it requests a clearer definition for the industry on what constitutes a net gain or parameters for demonstrating how the project minimises harm or improves the environment.

The amendments include a review of penalties under the new laws, which include fines of up to $825 million for environmental regulatory violations.

The removal of existing streamlined pathways for project approvals and new emissions reporting requirements are also areas of concern.

‘Take the time’: Groups echo warning

Many of the demands are echoed by business groups, who are calling for consensus and bipartisan support for the laws to ensure lasting reform.

Speaking to the Senate inquiry on Thursday, Business Council of Australia CEO Bran Black said the government should “take the time to get the right amendments”.

“What we’re concerned about is that the existing definitions of unacceptable impact deliver everything but. What it does is enhance vagueness,” he told the committee.

Environmental groups have urged the government not to cower to industry, stating definitions need to be based on what the science says.

Central Land Council general manager Josie Douglas is urging the government to wait until next March and not “make the mistakes of the past”.

“It’s a truncated process and the bill is being rushed through without opportunity for the public or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups to provide input and feedback,” she told SBS News.

Adding that the “changes need to ensure the bill is strengthened and not watered down and not weakened”.