Sky News interview with Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek

PETER STEFANOVIC, HOST: The Nationals have vowed to approve the Blayney Gold Mine if the Coalition wins the next election, after the Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek held up the $1 billion project. Joining us now is the Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek. Minister, good to see you. Thanks for your time this morning. So, the Nationals are still seeking your statement of claim or your reason, which led to the rejection of the tailings dam from being built. Why did you knock it back?

TANYA PLIBERSEK, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Well, just to be clear, I've said to the company, I said some time ago that I'd give them my formal statement of reason, so there's no surprises there. I knocked it back. Not the gold mine itself, but what I've said is that the tailings dam can't be built on the headwaters and springs of the Belubula River. The whole site is 2,500 hectares. I've said that 400 hectares of that 2,500 has to be protected. The headwaters and springs of the river. And just- you're talking about the Nationals going out there and saying, we're going to approve it; talk about uncertainty. This is exactly the sort of chaos that Australians rejected when they got rid of the previous government. The colour-coded spreadsheets to decide sports grants and commuter car parks, paying above the odds for the land in the Leppington Triangle. Scott Morrison appointing himself to secret ministries. You can't just make this stuff up as you go along. The idea that you approve a project because you like the look of it, with no information, no background, reading none of the documents, none of the reports. That's exactly the sort of stuff that the previous government got into trouble for.

STEFANOVIC: Can I just jump in there, Minister. So, just to clarify here, what is the statement of reason?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: The statement of reasons is the formal response to the company-

STEFANOVIC: But what is it? So, what is your reason?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, I've made that clear in multiple interviews. This area is important for local traditional owners.

STEFANOVIC: Okay.

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: I've said that the tailings dam can't go on the headwaters and springs of the river. This is a 2,500 thousand hectare site. The gold mine itself can go ahead. There's no problem with the gold mine going ahead. 16 per cent of the site is protected. 16 per cent of that 2,500 hectares, about 400 hectares. You know, the Nationals are out there saying that none of that matters, none of the background matters, none of the information matters. We don't need to see any of the detail, we don't need to see any of the reports. That's exactly the sort of thing that led to colour-coded spreadsheets before the last election, approving regional grants for North Sydney Swimming Pool. That's exactly the sort of chaos they're talking about.

STEFANOVIC: Well, I mean, I was out in Orange last week too, and my understanding is that the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council, they didn't object to the project, which was the key authority for the NSW Government. So, why has a minor Indigenous group taken priority?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, they're not. They're exactly the same group. The Wiradjuri Traditional Owners Central West Aboriginal Corporation is exactly the same group that the previous Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, listened to. Whose advice she acted on when she made exactly the same decision about another project about 50 kilometres away when she was Environment Minister. Same group of traditional elders, same reasons for a project about 50 kilometres away. They are the legitimate group to listen to.

STEFANOVIC: So, what's the point of the Land Council then?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: And Sussan Ley also found that they are the legitimate group to listen to. We also listened to the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council, which in 2019, actually opposed the whole of the project going ahead. They don't support it now. They've gone to a neutral position. So, you've got two groups, one group that's neutral on it.

STEFANOVIC: That's not objecting though.

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: That doesn't end up well, that doesn't end up supporting it. That's one group that's neutral and two groups that oppose it. And I have to say, the group that I listen to is exactly the same group that the previous Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, listened to when she rejected a proposal about 50 kilometres away. Same group of people, same reasons, a project just 50 kilometres away. And just one other thing that I wanted to make clear: all the company needs to do is find another location for their tailings dam. They've already investigated other sites. Since I made my decision, their share price has gone up by about eight per cent. One of the directors has just in recent days bought another 15,000 shares in the company. So, it looks like they are fairly confident that they will find the way through. I stand ready to assess another proposal. I've doubled on time approval since becoming the Minister. I recently approved a project in nine weeks. So, if the company get their skates on and come back with an alternate site for the tailings dam, I'm sure we can assess it very expeditiously.

STEFANOVIC: Okay.

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: And I'd say that their shareholders obviously believe the same thing because the share price is going up and the directors are buying more shares as we speak.

STEFANOVIC: I'm pretty much out of time, but I want to get you on this topic as well Minister, John Setka, he's thumbing his nose, that's putting it politely, at your government by getting access to a work site and protesting against the PM, as well as Minister Watt. Your thoughts on that appearance yesterday?

MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Look, you know, we're very lucky in Australia that the union movement has delivered things like sick leave, holiday pay, the eight-hour day. I'm a proud member of a union. I'll always be a member of a union. We can't allow unions to be infiltrated by bikie gangs and criminals, and that's why we've taken the action we have as a government. I think that the sort of tone of some of the protests shows exactly why putting the union into administration was the right thing to do.

STEFANOVIC: Ok, Tanya Plibersek, thanks, as always, for your time. We'll chat to you again soon.