Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment Bill 2013

The majority voted in favour of a motion that "the bill be reported". This is a procedural motion and follows the earlier vote in committee to agree to the bill as it is.

This motion officially concludes the consideration of the bill in committee stage.(See [http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/~/link.aspx?_id=E6FC77EE462F454EBDBE776AA771F0D7&_z=z here] for more information about what it means to report the bill. ) The next step is for the Senate to adopt the committee's report before finally voting on whether to read the bill a third time and therefore pass it through the Senate so it can become law.(See here for more information about what it means to adopt a committee report. ) In fact, this is what subsequently occurred without any further division.(The report was adopted without division and then the bill was read a third time. )

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.

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