Media Release
Mark Butler MP.
Shadow Minister for Environment
Climate Change and Water
Labor has slammed the Turnbull Government
for shutting down a Senate inquiry tasked with scrutinising the
controversial bill that would deny the right to appeal project
developments on environmental grounds to all but those with direct local
interests.
Tasmanian Labor Senator and Deputy Chair of
the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee Anne Urquhart
said the government used its voting numbers in the committee to cancel
public hearings and change the reporting date to a non-parliamentary
sitting day to avoid scrutiny.
“The government has shown absolute contempt
for due process and for the more than 20,000 individuals, organisations
and academic experts who took the time to raise their very legitimate
concerns about the EPBC bill,” Senator Urquhart said.
“The Turnbull Government has wantonly
trampled on key democratic principles by trying to dodge accountability
and remove fundamental rights of appeal, and then shutting down a
legitimate inquiry before a single hearing has been held.
“While we might have a new Prime Minister,
this debacle shows the Abbott-era anti-environment policy continues
unabated with the radical right of the Liberal party still calling the
shots.”
Senator Urquhart said the idea that you need
to live near an affected area of national environmental significance to
have a stake in its continued health is “clearly preposterous”.
“Our precious environmental assets are part
of the common wealth that benefits us all – not just those who live near
them,” Senator Urquhart said.
“Mr Turnbull is asking Australians to accept a
situation where the government could wreak untold damage on the
environment through reckless project approvals, but recourse is reserved
for the very few with direct local interests.
“If the Bill proceeds, the burden of holding
our government to account to protect our environment would fall squarely
on the shoulders of individual landholders who probably won’t have the
time, resources or expertise to undertake legal action.”
Senator Urquhart said the legislation, which
was roundly rejected by the majority of submitters to the inquiry, was
designed to disguise a government botch-up that saw the Carmichael Mine
approval fall on appeal.
“The government bungled the Carmichael Mine
approval and now they are casting around for an excuse to hide the fact
they dropped the ball.
“Less than 0.5 per cent of projects have ever
been rejected under this legislation so the government’s claims of
widespread ‘vigilante lawfare’ are not only nonsensical, but totally
baseless.”
Senator Urquhart said the expert advice
provided to the committee revealed the legislation would open up large
holes in legal safeguards for environmental assets with no benefit for
project proponents.
“The clear advice from legal experts is that the legislation would actually increase project
approval timelines as courts would be tied up in lengthy consideration
of who has a legal right to appeal,” Senator Urquhart said.
Environment Shadow Minister, Mark Butler,
called on the government to retract the Bill, saying “If Australians are
to have any faith in the environmental credentials of the Turnbull
Government and its commitment to transparency, accountability and due
process, this Bill must be withdrawn from the Parliament immediately.”
Labor Senators have tabled a dissenting report which is available at http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/EPBC_Standing_Bill.
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