TRANSCRIPT – JOINT DOORSTOP, PARLIAMENT HOUSE

SENATOR THE HON JONNO DUNIAM

SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS

MANAGER OF OPPOSITION BUSINESS IN THE SENATE

SENATOR FOR TASMANIA

ANGIE BELL MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

SHADOW MINISTER FOR YOUTH

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MONCRIEFF

TRANSCRIPT

JOINT DOORSTOP, PARLIAMENT HOUSE

25 November 2025

Subjects: Labor’s missing amendments putting their self-imposed deadline at risk.

E&OE…………………………………………………………………………………………………

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. We are expecting those amendments, and it is entirely unreasonable that we have not received them to date.

JONNO DUNIAM:

I’ll just add to that. I mean, we have been working in good faith with the Government all the way through this. They’re the ones who put this deadline down of getting a Bill passed by the end of this week. If there’s such a rush, then why are they leaving to the last minute to work with us on the amendments that Angie has been so forward leaning on getting constructed. It does not seem right that a Government is happy to deal with us on the one hand, to make it easier for critical minerals projects, for fossil fuel projects for major scale developments. But at the same time, go and do a deal with the Greens to kill off native forestry, or ban new coal and gas or put restrictions on projects that might have heavy emissions counts attached to them.

So, what is this government really up to? We’ve been fully upfront and transparent about what we’re about. We’ve provided the Government, some time ago, our request for amendments to these Bills, substantive as they are. This government is playing games, and we want to get the best outcome for this country. It is the government that have set this artificial deadline, and if they want the Bill passed by the end of this week, then perhaps step up work with us and actually get a good deal for the country.

JOURNALIST:

Just on what you said there, do these laws make it easier for fossil fuel projects to get moving?

JONNO DUNIAM:

It makes it better based on the amendments we’re putting forward for any investor, be it renewables, be it fossil fuel projects, be it critical minerals projects, be it housing developments. That’s the whole point of this legislation and our amendments around a number of the changes, including related to unacceptable impact, or the net gain provisions, or the environment, the open ended environmental protection orders. All of those things are being refined to make it more certain for the business community, more certain for the thens of thousands of jobs that depend on these projects. Yet the government are leaving it to the last moment.

JOURNALIST:

Are you opening up the prospect of a deal with the Greens by saying that?

JONNO DUNIAM:

If the government want to go and shut down native forestry, if they want to ban new coal and gas, then let them do that, we have been forward leaning. We have been more than cooperative. We have provided them with everything they’ve asked for in terms of guidance from the Coalition about what we would like to see in these Bills. We’ve worked with the private sector and community groups if they want to go and do a deal with the Greens, that’s up to Murray watt and Anthony Albanese to explain to the investors out there whose projects will go begging and the tens of thousands of jobs that will go missing as a result.

JOURNALIST:

Are the Nationals bringing a cooperative approach to this? Is a deal with the Coalition likely? Or are we wasting our time?

ANGIE BELL:

What I would say to that is that we are moments before the joint party room for the Coalition to meet, and we don’t have any amendments to discuss with the Coalition party room. And so, at this point in time, I would say to the to the Minister and to the Government, we need these amendments if you want to move forward with coming to an agreement on the EPBC.

JOURNALIST:

But what about the dynamics in your party room? Isn’t it likely that the far right of the coalition party room is going to be a challenge here?

ANGIE BELL:

I think that it is a moot point at this at this point in time, because we don’t actually have any amendments that we can talk to. We have put our substantive issues forward for the Minister, and now we are expecting those amendments to come back. He’s talking a big game here, but this does not look like a government who wants to do a deal.

JOURNALIST:

The amendments are being sent as we speak. Does that give you enough time to consider them through the party room process and even Shadow Cabinet and come to a decision?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, again, this is he said, she said. I have not received the amendments as I walked up to this press conference. I have not got any amendments that I can have a look at and so that we can make a decision moving forward.

JOURNALIST:

So, if you’re about to go into party room, you haven’t received the amendments, does that mean a deal this week is completely off the table?

ANGIE BELL:

How can I speak to my party room if I don’t have any amendments to speak to them with?

JOURNALIST:

But can you make a deal with them this week, if you do not have the amendments right now?

ANGIE BELL:

This is a moot point.

JOURNALIST:

Have you got the authority from your party room to make a deal without going back to them?

JONNO DUNIAM:

We’re a dynamic party room, and we’ll receive the amendments when we receive them, when the government want to actually get their act together and provide them to us. And we’ll work through them on the question of working with our nationals colleagues. They’ve been very constructive to date, and I expect they’ll continue to be. They are strong voices for their communities, and we’ll be able to work with them about the end outcome here. If that is for the Coalition to do a deal with the government that is acceptable to us. And I emphasise that we will not agree to anything that is not acceptable to our party room, joint party room, and that’s what Angie’s been working on, and that’s what we’ll sign up to.

JOURNALIST:

Roger Cook and the CME are backing five changes which amount to five of the seven that you’ve put forward. If you got five out of seven, would that be a sufficient compromise?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, I would say this is about what is in the amendments, the substantive amendments that we have talked about here. We have not had the opportunity to look at those amendments, and it will depend entirely upon what is in those amendments and where we’ve moved to.

ENDS.