Labor has struck a deal with the Greens to overhaul federal environmental protection laws on the day of Parliament’s final sitting of the year, ending a five-year struggle to deliver Graeme Samuel’s blueprint for fixing the broken system.
The Greens have agreed to support Labour’s rewrite of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act after securing further concessions from the government amid tense and lengthy negotiations. The deal would sideline Sussan Ley’s coalition, which had refused to accede to her demands for more business-friendly concessions in exchange for supporting the legislation.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced the deal just after 8am on Thursday, saying the changes would “usher in a new era for the environment and productivity in Australia”.
“This is a historic day for the environment in this country,” he said. “It’s also a good day for business in this country because it provides more certainty, reduces delays and ensures we get better results and better productivity.”
The deal would clear the way for Labor to pass the legislation through the Senate on Thursday, giving Albanese a major political victory by the end of 2025. After talks with the Greens, Albanese said the government had agreed to place more environmental standards on the forestry industry.
The Prime Minister also said the government is setting up a $300 million fund for the forestry industry to support jobs and finance equipment to modernize the industry.
“We are removing and eliminating exemptions from the EPBC Act for high-risk land-clearing and regional forestry agreements so that they comply with the same rules and standards as other industries,” he said.
“It’s about using science and evidence to prove that all forestry in Australia is done to the highest standard. The Government is supporting forestry and timber workers through our Forest Growth Fund which will invest in new equipment and facilities to enable the modernization and reprocessing of the industry.”
Albanese became actively involved in the final stages of the talks, speaking directly to her Greens counterpart Larissa Waters to resolve a week-long impasse. She praised the “maturity” of Waters and the Greens’ environment spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young during the debate.
Albanese said he had offered to meet with Leigh to discuss environmental legislation, but the Coalition was not as open to negotiations as the Greens. He said he would flag more amendments with his support, beyond the demands raised publicly.
Labor’s Senate manager, Katy Gallagher, said the government would pass 10 bills through the Senate on Thursday – the last scheduled day of parliament until 2025 – after reaching agreement with the Greens, including a boost to environmental laws as well as a $50 million funding boost to the ABC.
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