Nature Positive (Environment Protection Australia) Bill 2024 and two others

The majority voted against an amendment introduced by Fairfax MP Ted O’Brien (Liberal) to the usual second reading motion, which is "that the bill be read a second time" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill). This means the amendment failed.

Amendment text

That all words after “That” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

“the House:

(1) expresses its commitment to making changes to national environmental laws that are genuinely beneficial for both the environment and business;

(2) notes that these three bills do not meaningfully improve Australia’s environmental laws, and that they have particular shortcomings in each of the following forms :

(a) the expansion of the EPA’s proposed remit well beyond the compliance and data functions promised by the ALP in 2022;

(b) the excessive size, and lack of proportionality, of the new penalties;

(c) the requirement for more regular, earlier reviews of the operation of the EPA than is mandated in this bill;

(d) the need for clearer limits on the range of circumstances in which environment protection orders can be applied;

(e) the lack of accompanying information about the full regulatory and financial impacts of the bill, including on cost recovery; and

(3) calls on the Government to finally honour their long-flagged promise to introduce a full package of new National Environmental Standards and an overhauled EPBC Act”.