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Greens push threatens fuel rules

Greens threaten Labor’s fuel rules over gas project push

By Mike Foley

Greens leader Adam Bandt said on Tuesday King was a “roadblock” to the government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which is likely to rely on crossbench support after the Coalition dubbed it a “ute tax” and warned it would push up the cost of new vehicles.

Resources Minister Madeleine King wants to simplify the assessment process for offshore gas projects.

Resources Minister Madeleine King wants to simplify the assessment process for offshore gas projects. CREDIT: ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN.

“If Labor really values the NVES bill, Madeline King should withdraw her blatant attempt to ignore First Nations voices and fast-track climate-destroying gas projects,” Bandt said.

King’s bill to reform offshore gas assessments, which is expected to have Coalition backing, was set to be debated in the Senate this week but has been paused amid fierce opposition from Indigenous leaders and the Greens.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the government had promised it would not be introduced before parliament went on a break until the middle of May.

But a spokesperson for King told this masthead on Tuesday the government was committed to enacting the legislation “as soon as possible”.

The gas industry has been lobbying the federal government to reform what it views as an unnecessarily bureaucratic and time-consuming process for the assessment of large offshore gas projects.

The government has proposed changes to the rules governing project assessments contained in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which is the responsibility of Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

King’s changes would essentially empower the resources minister of the day to alter the standards required for consultation with affected stakeholders such as traditional owners, as well as a project’s environmental impacts.

Traditional owners and the Greens warn this would allow a resources minister to reduce their say on gas projects.

Greens leader Adam Bandt says Resources Minister Madeleine King is a “roadblock” to the government’s fuel efficiency standards.

Greens leader Adam Bandt says Resources Minister Madeleine King is a “roadblock” to the government’s fuel efficiency standards.CREDIT: ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN

“This legislation is another attempt to silence the voices of traditional custodians speaking out to protect our Country,” First Nations activist Raelene Cooper said on Tuesday.

Hanson-Young said the government had promised to improve environmental protections and Indigenous consultation but had now been “caught talking out of both sides of their mouth”.

“The sneaky gas loophole clause in this bill will not pass the parliament this week and Labor should drop it permanently,” Hanson-Young said.

Warringah MP Zali Steggall has proposed an amendment to the bill that would remove the resources minister’s power to alter environmental regulations.

“It is incredibly important that proper environmental assessment and listening to First Nations people occur in relation to offshore gas waters,” Steggall said.

King has rejected these claims, arguing her changes would improve the process for traditional owners and developers alike.

She suggested in parliament on Monday that groups without a genuine connection to the area where projects were proposed were being co-opted by fossil fuel opponents.

“There is an absolute lawyers’ picnic over approvals of various projects going through the courts,” King said.

Australian Energy Producers chief executive Samantha McCulloch, who represents gas companies, backed King’s proposed changes, which she said were needed to remove delays in project development.

“Urgent regulatory reform is needed to address more than a year of uncertainty and delays in the offshore approvals framework,” McCulloch said.

On Monday, King proposed an amendment to her original bill that would require the resources minister to secure the consent of the environment minister before changing any environmental regulations.

 

This clause was not included in the original bill, which the influential Labor Environment Action Network had said it was “deeply concerned” about.

“Decoupling environmental approvals of offshore gas projects from environmental laws and the environment minister’s oversight was not on, and we mobilised accordingly,” LEAN national co-convener Felicity Wade said.

LEAN is satisfied, however, that the amendments are “workable”.

“They are not elegant, but will reinstate the essential overarching architecture – requiring consistency with the environment laws as well as approval by the environment minister for any changes,” Wade said.

Plibersek was contacted for comment.

Hanson-Young said the reform did not go far enough to ensure environmental standards were upheld.

Plibersek is currently developing reforms to the EPBC Act as part of the government’s pledge to boost environmental protections, and King’s bill includes a clause that the power to alter regulations under the EPBC Act cease after 12 months.