Interview with Bridget Brennan, ABC News Breakfast

BRIDGET BRENNAN, HOST: Now to the nation's capital, where the Federal Government's long-awaited overhaul of the country's environment laws are expected to pass the House of Representatives today. Environment Minister Murray Watt joins us now from Canberra. Good morning to you, Minister, and thanks for joining us again on News Breakfast.

MURRAY WATT, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER: Hi, Bridget. Good to be with you.

BRIDGET BRENNAN: So the first hurdle likely to be passed today, but does it look like these laws are going to have to be pushed into 2026 as negotiations continue?

MURRAY WATT: Well, this is a really significant day, Bridget, with after five years since Graeme Samuel tabled his report with recommendations about how to fix our environment laws. The laws will pass the House of Representatives today. The other important thing about today, though, is that in the House of Representatives, we are going to see the Greens party vote with Barnaby Joyce against laws that deliver very real benefits to the environment. And equally, we're going to see the Coalition vote with the Greens to stop laws that will deliver very real benefits for business. They're opposing the balanced package that Graeme Samuel recommended that we have put forward in this bill. But notwithstanding that, it's very pleasing to see that it will pass the House. I'm still very confident that we can pass these laws this year, Bridget. Obviously there's one more sitting week to go, and there is an opportunity for the Senate to consider and pass these laws in that last sitting week. There will actually be three hearings of the Senate committee, which is looking into this bill in the next fortnight before we return to parliament. I understand there's going to be about 40-odd witnesses who will give evidence at those three days of hearings, so there'll be a lot of opportunity for people to have their say. And we simply cannot keep delaying these important reforms which will deliver national environmental standards, higher penalties for those who illegally damage our environment, and which will streamline approvals for really important projects like housing and renewables.

BRIDGET BRENNAN: As you've just foreshadowed there, just the difficulty you're going to have there in the Senate, though, with the Greens and the Coalition both retaining significant concerns about elements of the laws. Has either side - have you been having ongoing talks with the Coalition and with the Greens? - And has either side come to you with a sensible proposition that you'd be able to support in terms of reworking some of these laws?

MURRAY WATT: Well, yes, there have been ongoing discussions. I've had further discussions with both the Coalition and the Greens this week, Bridget, and I expect that will continue over the next fortnight. I think what's important about the next fortnight when we're out of parliament is that it gives both the Coalition and the Greens an opportunity to focus. That's a bit hard for the Coalition at the moment. They're very divided over net zero, and I think that is getting in the way of their ability to really focus on these laws and understand the real benefits for business. And it's an opportunity for the Greens over the next fortnight to put aside the sort of blocking and spoiling games that they get up to while they're in parliament to really notice and observe that there are really strong gains for the environment as well.

BRIDGET BRENNAN: So do you have a sense of who you might be able to do a deal with at this stage, at this point of negotiations?

MURRAY WATT: Not at this point, Bridget. I mean, what those parties are saying to me behind closed doors is obviously a little bit more moderate than the rhetoric they carry on with in the media. You would expect that. But as I say, I'm hopeful that over the next fortnight, both of those parties can really focus, put aside some of their internal issues or the game-playing they like to get up to, and really narrow down the number of issues that are deal breakers for them. We just cannot keep going around in circles with these laws while we see our environment go backwards and while we see housing and renewable projects held up in red tape.

BRIDGET BRENNAN: We had the Aboriginal Land Councils on our show a couple of days ago from the Northern Territory. Obviously, these are Land Councils that represent Traditional Owners that have a big stake in the environment and industry and control a big swathe of land in the NT and other parts of Australia. They said they weren't adequately consulted. What happened here, and have you heard those concerns from the land councils?

MURRAY WATT: Well, a couple of things on that, Bridget. We absolutely understand that finding ways in our environmental laws to better incorporate the knowledge of First Nations people about environmental management is really important. It's something that Graeme Samuel put forward in his review, and we've done that through the bill.

In terms of consultation, the primary vehicle we've used for consultation with First Nations people is an Indigenous Advisory Committee that is set up under the EPBC legislation, and they have been consulted both by myself and my department in framing these laws. And as recently as a fortnight ago, my office met with those Land Councils to hear their points of view. I had a short meeting with them this week as well as my office. But, look, we've heard their message that they want to be more involved in these discussions. I'm sure that they will be giving evidence at the Senate inquiry as well. We want to make sure that we're hearing from everyone on these laws, and I'm very confident that by listening to everyone, we will come up with an even better bill by the time it gets through this Senate.

BRIDGET BRENNAN: More news out this morning that the Reef, the health of the Reef, is under serious threat. Minister, what is the government doing to protect these vital parts of our environment?

MURRAY WATT: Well, when it comes to the Great Barrier Reef, our government is investing over a billion dollars over several years to restore the health of the Great Barrier Reef. It is clearly a world icon, not just a national icon here in Australia. And we know that coral reefs all around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo in Western Australia, are under pressure from climate change. That's why we've got to keep making those investments to restore the health of the reefs. It's why we've got to keep reducing our emissions and it's why we've got to reach net zero. The Coalition might want to have their internal games about net zero and distract them from important issues like environmental law, but in the meantime, we do see our environment go backwards. But the number one thing we can do at the moment to help the Reef and all of our natural environment is to pass these laws, which will deliver stronger national environmental standards, higher penalties for those who break the law, a new Federal EPA, which we've never had before, to enforce those laws. So it's a vital step forward for our environment.

BRIDGET BRENNAN: Just briefly on the algal bloom crisis in South Australia, scientists may have pinpointed one of the sources of this outbreak. Are you having regular updates from scientists, and are you planning to go to South Australia again in the coming weeks just to check in in on what's happening there?

MURRAY WATT: Yeah, we're regularly remaining in touch with the South Australian Government, Bridget, who, of course, is leading the response to the algal bloom. You'd be aware that we have jointly funded the Summer Plan to assist South Australians through this very difficult event. But the other aspect of that Summer Plan is that it's also funding a lot of scientific research so that we can better understand the cause of this algal bloom and what its consequences are. I think it's very useful to be getting that sort of scientific research that we've seen out today to help us better understand this, because that will enable us to respond better however long this goes on for.

BRIDGET BRENNAN: All right, Murray Watt, thanks very much for your time this morning.

MURRAY WATT: Thanks, Bridget.