Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment Bill 2013

The majority voted against an amendment to exclude "exploration, assessment or appraisal pursuant to a petroleum title granted under a law of a State or Territory" from the definitions of coal seam gas development and large coal mining development.

Debate in Parliament

The amendment was introduced by Senator Simon Birmingham to draw a distinction between "exploration or appraisal activities and actual production and development activities".(You can read Senator Birmingham's comments about the amendment here. )

Labor Senator Stephen Conroy said that all the issues raised by Senator Birmingham have been "fully considered" by the Senate committee and they recommended that the bill be passed.(You can read Senator Conroy's comments here. A copy of the Senate committee's report is available here. )

Background to the Bill

The purpose of the bill is to protect water resources from significant impacts caused by coal seam gas and large coal mining developments.(See here for more information about the bill, including its explanatory memorandum and bills digest.) This is called a ‘water trigger’. The bill creates penalties and offences to prohibit such actions.

References