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

Senator DAVID POCOCK (Australian Capital Territory—Independent ACT Whip) (11:21): by leave—I move: Omit all words after "That", substitute: (a) the Senate notes that: (i) the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 (EPR Bill) does not allow emissions from projects and their impact on climate change to be accounted for when considering applications, despite the fact that climate change is one of the greatest threats to nature, (ii) the EPR Bill establishes an offsets scheme that includes a 'pay-to-destroy' model, which in New South Wales has been found by the Audit Office of New South Wales to have been poorly designed and has issues with 'integrity, transparency and sustainability', (iii) the rulings power in the EPR Bill is a dangerous unprecedented extension of executive power and an unjustifiable reduction of role of the judiciary, (iv) many of the statutory tests contained in the EPR Bill are based on subjective standards, which creates uncertainty for business and nature, (v) the EPR Bill creates vague new powers for the minister to declare projects in the 'national interest', reducing transparency and introducing further uncertainty for business and nature, (vi) the National Environmental Protection Agency established by the National Environmental Protection Agency Bill 2025 is not truly independent as it is not governed by an independent board and a Chief Executive Officer appointed by the board, (vii) the package of bills, including explanatory memoranda, are more than 1,400 pages in length and represent the most significant changes to federal environment law in a generation, (viii) the role of the Senate is to provide scrutiny to legislation, particularly complex legislation, including through committee inquiries, with the inquiry into these bills due to report on 24 March 2026, (ix) the Senate is being denied the opportunity to properly scrutinise these bills; and (b) the Senate calls on the Government to deliver environmental law reform consistent with its commitment to no new extinctions; and (c) the bills be referred to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 24 March 2026.

Senator Duniam: We ask that paragraph (c) be put separately. The PRESIDENT: The question is that the amendment on sheet 3563, as moved by Senator David Pocock, excluding paragraph (c), be agreed to.