BRIDGET BRENNAN:
The federal government’s new environment laws face an uncertain path through the parliament where they’ll be introduced today. The coalition wants a string of changes. Shadow Environment Minister Angie Bell joins us now. Good morning to you.
Queenslanders are known for their resilience, especially when damaging and unpredictable weather hits our great state.
That’s why it’s questionable timing for the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to launch a brand-new website a week before the start of storm season.
It’s worth noting, the Minister for the Environment, that oversees this agency, is a Queenslander and he should know better than anyone that the worst possible time for this website transition was last week.
After entering good faith negotiations ahead of Labor’s second attempt at Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act reform, the Coalition was cautiously optimistic.
Now, following the drip feeding of scarce details by the Environment Minister and his department, the Coalition is frustrated – as are industry groups, businesses, advocates and environmentalists – that this Government, after two attempts, is yet to get the balance right.
Shadow Minister for the Environment and Youth, Angie Bell has called on the government to immediately regulate ‘unacceptable impacts’, provide certainty on the definition of ‘net gain’ whilst removing scope one and two emission reporting and cleaning up Labor’s “sad excuse” of an Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
NIKOLINA KHAROUFEH:
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie is renewing his push against Australia’s net zero target, despite the coalition’s potential compromise. The opposition is considering a shift that would involve stripping the 2050 date from legislation, making the target more aspirational rather than legal. The former Shadow Home Affairs Minister says the party needs to evolve from the Howard years. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, some MPs presented third-party party polling during private Liberal meetings, which showed 52 per cent of voters want the 2050 target watered down. A third of voters were satisfied with the existing target.
PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Let’s return to the government’s environment law reform set to be introduced into the parliament later this week. Now, the coalition today asked the government to split its legislation in half, prioritising the project approvals and dealing with environmental protections later. I spoke to the Shadow Environment Minister, Angie Bell, who only had a very short period of time because bells keep going off, before Shadow Cabinet a short time ago. Angie Bell, welcome to the program.
SALLY SARA:
Well, as you’ve heard, the opposition has written to the government asking Labor to split a bill to overhaul environmental laws, but Environment Minister Murray Watt has rejected the proposal, saying there doesn’t need to be a choice between productivity and the environment. Angie Bell is the Shadow Minister for the Environment, and she joined me a short time ago. Welcome back to Radio National Breakfast.
JAYNIE SEAL:
We’ve heard the existing laws are fundamentally broken. What can you say about this?
ANGIE BELL:
Well, certainly, our environmental laws are well overdue for reform. Back 25 years ago, when Robert Hill actually introduced them into the parliament, he said they would only be fit for ten years or so, and I will note that it was the Labor Government that failed in the last term to reform our environmental laws. And so, the Prime Minister then handed that over to Murray Watt, his fixer, to try again. And here we are, where we’ve seen Murray Watt take out the words ‘nature positive’ and put in the words ‘net gain’. And also, we haven’t got all the details.
PAUL MURRAY:
Two people that I love having on the show is none other than Angie Bell. She’s, of course, an MP on the beautiful Gold Coast, Shadow Environment Minister. She joins us now from, we can’t quite say God’s country at times, but still, kiss the ground for me. And Stephen Conroy, who’s always here to help. I love you, brother. All right. Now, let’s get to a couple of things here.
GARY ADSHEAD:
The Shadow Environment Minister, the, of course, opposition spokesperson on the environment and youth, for that matter, Angie Bell, also a member of the Queensland LNP, is in Perth to discuss with those interest groups around the federal government’s planned environmental protection laws and what they will look like come the end of the year when it’s understood Murray Watt, the Federal Environment Minister, will introduce the new laws into the federal parliament. Angie Bell joins us now. Thanks very much for your time.
ANGIE BELL:
Great to be with you, Gary, and your listeners this afternoon.
GARY ADSHEAD:
Sorry about the weather. You would have thought there’d be a bit of sun above your head, but there’s none today, I’m afraid. So, well, I just have to suck it up. Of course, the weather, the rain, we’re grateful for it. Angie, just looking at it, are you and Murray Watt, the Federal Minister, that far apart in terms of what the Federal Government around these environmental laws?
JEREMY JONES:
Changing tack now and there’s an overhaul coming to Australia’s environmental laws. The current ones just aren’t reflecting the demands of the growing population. So, what could be the impact on central Queensland? Seeing as the state government has just released its energy plan extending the life of the Callide Power Station and supporting coal production, Shadow Minister for the Environment Angie Bell has been part of the negotiations with her Labor counterpart, Murray Watt, and the Shadow Minister is in Central Queensland for the next couple of days. Thanks for your time this morning. What changes are coming in the overhaul of the environmental laws?
ANGIE BELL:
Great to be with you, Jeremy, and your listeners here in Central Queensland. I’m here today in Rockhampton with Michelle Landry and we’re meeting with some stakeholders around Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act reforms, which you just outlined.