I add my heartfelt sympathy for the victims and their families around the events of 14 December at our beloved Bondi Beach. I acknowledge their pain and embrace those impacted; some, we know, were here in the gallery earlier this morning. The Gold Coast community send our deepest condolences: shalom aleichem—peace be upon you. My local Jewish communities send their love and support for your loss.
STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:
To talk about these issues and others, we’re joined by the Shadow Minister for Environment and Shadow Minister for Youth, Angie Bell. Angie, good morning.
ANGIE BELL:
Great to be with you, Stephen.
STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:
Look, as I say, I mean, the legislation was always going to be problematic, but there should be no politics and condolence motions whatsoever.
The Coalition has raised serious concerns about the Albanese Government’s decision to list the Lower Murray River ecosystem as critically endangered, warning it risks creating significant uncertainty for water users, local councils and investors across the southern Murray–Darling Basin.
While the Government claims existing land and water uses will be unaffected, Shadow Minister for the Environment and Youth, Angie Bell, said this does not reflect the reality.
JULIA BRADLEY:
Joining me live now is Shadow Environment Minister, Angie Bell. Angie, thank you so much for your time. We’re hearing Parliament’s returning next, well ahead of schedule, to debate that legislation in the wake of the Bondi attack. Does the opposition plan to put forward any amendments?
ANGIE BELL:
Well, look, the opposition hasn’t actually seen the legislation yet, Julia, and so once we get that this afternoon, we’ll have a very, very close look at that. Like many Australians, the Coalition’s very skeptical about what will be in this Bill from the Prime Minister, because as we know, hate speech laws and gun laws are two different areas of law. And so, we’re a little bit skeptical after, you know, the debacle of not calling a Royal Commission for so long and the Prime Minister’s backflip on that as well. Australians, rightly, have doubts about the leadership of our country right now.
Frankenstein’s monster is the new creation of Labor and the Greens’ dirty deal in the dead of night on the EPBC Act. The Prime Minister and his Mr Fixer, the senator from the great resources state Queensland, Murray Watt, has appeased the left flank of Labor’s backbench and caved in to allow a new environmental protection agency with excessive powers and too little oversight. Their new Frankenstein CEO will have the power to mark its own homework and to create its own rules.
The Coalition has engaged in good faith with the government to secure environmental law reform—reform that will deliver for the environment and for jobs, industry and investment—in our great nation because Australians deserve environmental laws that are productive, practical and durable. But the legislation in its current form, despite the lofty rhetoric of those opposite, falls well short of delivering the certainty, the balance and the productivity that our nation needs.
WILL GOODINGS:
The Bureau website, and we’ve thus far found one person who thinks it’s good. That’s just a user interface review. The serious side of this is things like Port Pirie, where a destructive storm swept through and nobody saw it coming. The Bureau didn’t see it coming. The Mayor in Port Pirie has been scathing of the Bureau. The Premier too I thought was pretty forthright in his commentary about how disappointing it was that this wasn’t picked up. With all this money being expended at the Weather Bureau, should we be expecting better? The Federal Shadow Environment Minister, Angie Bell, joins us on FIVEAA Breakfast.
ANGIE BELL:
Well, good morning to everyone here this morning in Canberra. We have exactly three sitting days left in the parliamentary year, and we have not seen any amendments put forward by the Labor Albanese Government or Minister Watt at this point in time when it comes to EPBC reform. The Minister has been out in the press saying that he wants to do a deal this week. It is entirely and utterly unreasonable that at this point in time, we have not seen any of the substantive changes put forward that we would like to see in the EPBC Act, if it is to be passed this week. I’ll say to the Minister, the ball is firmly in your court.
BEN DAVIS:
Now, before you glaze over, it affects every single one of us because it has a real impact on development and houses being built and the approvals for those houses, homes, high-rises, whatever it may be. It helps relieve the supply issue. It cuts the red tape, the green tape, if you like. It reduces duplication. It increases certainty for those who want to build and develop. There’s a new threshold test for approval. There’s the process for reconsidering decisions that have been made clearer. This is all on the table. There’s also the scope for a new Environmental Protection Agency.
KELLY HIGGINS-DEVINE:
Senator Watt’s also been holding talks with the Coalition’s Environment Spokesperson, Angie Bell who joins us now. Good morning.
ANGIE BELL:
Good morning. Kelly Higgins-Devine. What a great name. I just want to say that on air.
KELLY HIGGINS-DEVINE:
Thank you so much. Okay, so with this legislation, we’ve heard that the Greens have been offered a concession. Have you been offered one or any of the items you would like to see change in this legislation?