Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025, Environment Information Australia Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Customs Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Excise Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (General Charges Imposition) Bill 2025, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Restoration Charge Imposition) Bill 2025

Mr GEORGANAS (Adelaide) (20:04): I rise to support the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025; of course I support this bill. We've been talking about this bill for a number of years. Our environment laws need reform.

There is no doubt that they need reform. They are archaic. They're obviously not working.

We've seen businesses without certainty. On the environment we've, again, seen no certainty, and a community that is affected by that. We need environmental laws that are effective, unified and capable of restoring what's been lost.

I'm not saying we can restore what's been lost and get back to a point where we were perhaps 200 years ago. That would be impossible. But doing so doesn't mean we have to do it at the detriment of agriculture, industry et cetera.

Hearing the other side talk about everything from the decimation of farming, wheat growing and sheep grazing is just ridiculous. We know that's not the case. This is about sensible policy.

This is about policy that gives surety to environmental causes and also to industry. Every day we delay passing of these laws, we see the environment suffer, we see business suffer, and, most importantly, we also see the community suffer because they are the ones that are perhaps missing out on things like infrastructure because the laws are not there to give them certainty about whether a project can go ahead or not, or there's the detriment of the environment because something has gone ahead that shouldn't have gone ahead.

This is important legislation, and it's legislation that was commissioned by the coalition when they were in government more than five years ago. We heard today Graeme Samuel, the author of the report, come out and say 'get out of the way' to the parties that are stalling this. This is important legislation.

I meet with many, many constituents—everything from industry to community groups, environmentalists and people who are committed to the environment. I meet people who are sensible, who are in that middle ground, who understand the importance of the environment and who understand the connection of the environment to our community but also the connection of environment to businesses.

It is businesses that understand that as well. We've heard today—I'm not going to go through them—many speakers quote some of those businesses saying that this is sensible policy. I want to acknowledge many dedicated constituents in my electorate who I meet with regularly.

I want to mention a small number of them here tonight. Firstly, I want to mention Richard Bentley, a tremendous volunteer and a member of LEAN and the Australian Conservation Foundation. He links me up with the Australian Conservation Foundation and with what their views and their thoughts are.

He absolutely is committed to the environment and ensuring that we preserve the environment. Secondly, I want to mention Rose Dow from the Walkerville Bushcare Volunteer Group. Previously, this group were winners of the town of Walkerville's award for active citizenship for their three decades of work in restoring sites along the River Torrens.

Those of you who know South Australia and Adelaide would know that the River Torrens runs right through the middle of the city. We know the city was planned where it is by Colonel Light because of the River Torrens. They have done some incredible work restoring sites along Linear Park at the River Torrens.

I've gone out with them, and we've organised community groups to restore plants and to ensure we clean up rubbish. They are absolutely committed people. These are middle-of-the-road people.

We're not talking about people that lie in front of bulldozers and do all sorts of things. These are middle-of-the-road people that are involved in business and industry. They have full-time jobs, but they are committed to the environment.

The group has beautified the area that I represent while protecting and bolstering the biodiversity along the River Torrens. It's been my pleasure to take part with them in rubbish collections and planting native plants where they once grew. I thank them all deeply for their volunteering efforts.

It's also my privilege to mention and thank Jasper Lee, Matt Martin and the team from Electrify Adelaide for their enthusiasm in educating the public about the environmental, health and financial benefits of home electrification. It was great to join all of these people—Richard, Rose, Matt and Jasper—along with Minister Bowen in August at the Walkers Arms Hotel to hear about our battery rollout.

I look forward to engaging with them and being able to brief them on this bill and the importance of the rollout of this environmental bill. Indeed, as I said, the package of bills is the result of extensive consultation over five years with key stakeholders across resources, renewables, property, environment, First Nations, agriculture and forestry groups. These bills have been crafted with intention, purpose and balance between the environment and the economy.

They deliver three key improvements: stronger environmental protection, which we desperately need—not just environmental protection but restoration as well—more efficient and robust project assessments; and greater accountability and transparency in decision-making. These reforms respond directly to the independent review led by Professor Graeme Samuel in 2020, which found the current EPBC Act is failing our environment.

Not only does it fail the environment, but, specifically for the opposition, it's also failing businesses. It's failing businesses and communities. It's failing businesses because there's no certainty.

If you're a business, you want certainty. You want to know what you can invest in, what the parameters of the laws are and what your scope is, but, unfortunately, because this legislation has been stalled—this legislation started more than five years ago, when the other side were in government, and nothing was done on it; it was just a report that they sat on—businesses don't have that certainty.

That's why the majority of businesses are backing our plan. Let's not forget it was the opposition that commissioned that review and then sat on it and did nothing. It has taken a Labor government to actually put it into action so we can get that certainty, so that businesses know exactly where they stand and can make future decisions on behalf of their investors or their business and so that the community can benefit from reforms that ensure that the degradation of the environment which has been taking place ceases or slows down and that restore the environment as well.

It's now, under our government, that the report is being used as it was intended to be used. I've got to say that the Labor Party is the party of environmental progress. It's this side of politics that makes history for Australia.

We are the party that has addressed the threat of climate change, built the world's largest network of marine parks and protected treasures like Daintree and Kakadu. When you look back at when the now opposition were in government, what did they do? They commissioned the report, and then it sat on the shelf.

In fact, they're still arguing whether climate change is real. That's the extent of where we are. I've said this many times in this House: the world has moved on.

We know that we have to protect the environment. We know that we need action on climate change. We know that we actually have to take action and do something, and it's not just us.

When I say 'we', I don't mean we here; I mean Australia as a whole. The world has moved on. When I look at the opposition, with their arguments about climate change and the environment, it reminds me of those Japanese soldiers in World War II that were left behind in the caves where they hid and were found many years later still thinking the war was on.

Everyone was saying to them, 'It's okay; the war's over. You can come out. No-one's going to arrest you.

No-one's going to put you in prison,' but they kept on wanting to fight. That's the analogy. That's what they remind me of.

The world has moved on. Everyone has moved on. The only people who haven't moved on are the Liberal Party and the Nationals, who don't want to accept that Australia has accepted that there is a climate revolution, that we need to make changes and that we need to do so for the next generations of Australians.

I don't want to have been in this place, have my grandchildren say to me, 'What did you do when you were in parliament? Did you speak up for the environment?' and have no answer. If it's degraded and we do nothing, it will disappear from under our feet.

We are taking the environment seriously. We have increased penalties. There is a formula that will apply, and there's also education that will take place with businesses.

Businesses and industries will no longer be left in limbo during environmental assessments. State and territory agencies will be able to conduct assessments on behalf of the Commonwealth while upholding Commonwealth standards. We can provide protection.

We can assure all communities across Australia, with certainty, passion and strength, that these areas will be protected. It is important that we give the Australian public, businesses and everyone involved the surety that they deserve. Let this be the moment we choose to lead on the environment.

Let this be the moment we choose to care. Let this be the moment we choose to act. I hope the other side joins us in acting.