Business leaders tell Coalition to keep environment bill whole

Business and industry heavyweights are heaping pressure on the Coalition to abandon its push to split the Albanese Government’s long-awaited overhaul of environmental laws — a move the architect of the reforms has blasted as bewildering.

But Environment Minister Murray Watt faces a fight to get the legislation through the Parliament before the end of the year.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley wrote to Anthony Albanese on Sunday calling for the legislation — yet to be revealed in full – to be split in two, separating plans to speed up project approvals from proposals to strengthen environmental safeguards.

Environment Minister Murray Watt dismissed her call as a “silly idea”.

The existing Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is widely regarded as not working for either the environment or business proponents trying to get projects approved, including large-scale renewables, housing developments and critical minerals mines.

Former competition watchdog Graeme Samuel, who reviewed the regime for Ms Ley when she was environment minister, said he found the call to separate the changes disingenuous and bewildering.

He pointed out Senator Watt’s predecessor Tanya Plibersek had split the bill last term to establish an environmental protection agency and an information database, with a promise of a later tranche containing environmental standards.

“The Opposition rejected that soundly and said it wasn’t an appropriate way to do it. They said what we need is certainty, and the only way we get certainty is if we know the rules,” Professor Samuel told The West.

“I can only assume that’s what it is, is that the Opposition is saying this may be a way of fast-tracking the further degradation of the environment.”

Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black said it would be “ideal if we could knock it over by the end of the year” while the window for reform was open and called on legislators to step up.

“We favour having everything on the table at the same time, and we think that that approach assures us the best basis for getting the right balanced outcome that ultimately secures benefits to the environment and for business,” he said.

“To get that balance right, we need the parties of government to come together and pass this legislation, that is the way that we can go about delivering the longevity that these reforms require.”

He told that directly to Ms Ley and shadow minister Angie Bell in Canberra today.

The mining sector similarly believes splitting the bill would be a mistake.

Industry still has concerns with draft elements of the legislation, but don’t see them as insurmountable issues.

Senator Watt said splitting the bill would amount to cherry-picking between benefits for business and protections for the environment – the same point Ms Ley made as minister.

“(Ms Ley) is desperately trying to shore up her leadership ahead of some very difficult net-zero conversations with her party room this week,” Senator Watt said.

“Sussan Ley is in danger of putting her own leadership ahead of the environment and ahead of business. We can’t split the bill. We need to do both.”

The Government needs the backing of either the Greens or the Coalition to pass the bill through the Senate and still has hopes of doing so this year after a swift three-week committee inquiry.

However, the Greens and Coalition may unite to force a longer inquiry.

Greens leader Larissa Waters accused the Government of caving to the resources sector with the new laws.

“It’s almost like they gave the pen to Chevron and Woodside and Santos to write this version of our environmental laws,” she said.

“That is how convenient it will be for business to trash the place under this Albanese government’s proposed environmental law reforms.”

The Greens want stronger protections around native forest logging, climate factors being considered during the approvals process, and no fast-tracking of new coal and gas projects.

But when pushed on whether any of these were hardline demands that wouldn’t shift during negotiations, Senator Waters would only say her party would continue to talk.

Shadow frontbencher Maria Kovacic accused Senator Watt of “choosing to actually concede to extreme fringe green groups instead of considering what’s best for Australia and Australians and Australian business” by refusing to split the bill.

“What we have a problem with is where we are looking at pecuniary penalties, some of the harshest in the world that do nothing to actually help the environment,” she said.

The legislation is expected to be introduced to Parliament later this week, ahead of Senator Watt speaking at the National Press Club on Thursday.