by The Albanian government and the Coalition have voted to cut short a debate on Labour’s offshore gas bill, which has been labeled “window dressing” by the cross-bench and environmental groups as it fails to prevent rules new pressure on First Nations consultation.
Looking to clear the decks before Easter, the government is expected to unveil changes to its proposed vehicle efficiency standards this week. And on Monday Labor introduced amendments to add safeguards to the offshore gas bill after widespread concern, including within its own ranks.
When the Greens failed to suspend standing orders to protest during the day against the offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage (OPGGS) bill, the leader of the house, Tony Burke, moved to end debate on symbolic reforms shortly after 6pm.
WATCHING: Labor and the Liberals are now debating their bill to fast-track new gas projects and take away First Nations rights.
In the middle of a climate crisis. And while pretending to want to listen to First Nations voices.
shame.
— Adam Bandt (@AdamBandt) March 25, 2024
The Government’s gagging debate on its terrible Offshore Gas Bill. Total shocker.
— Zoe Daniel MP (@zdaniel) March 25, 2024
Earlier Greens leader Adam Bandt told parliament that Labor “the climate artists” were willing to “work with the climate deniers in the Coalition to fast track offshore gas”.
Resources minister Madeleine King said the parliamentary debate was rife with “massive claims of misrepresentation” about the bill, which is now likely to pass a second reading with Labor and Coalition support before going to the Senate. Wednesday.
The OPGGS bill states that approved offshore gas projects are presumed to be in compliance with environmental laws even if they were not.
Related: David Pocock fears Labor is trying to work around First Nations consultation on offshore gas projects
The bill has been panned by environmental groups, who worry it is a breach designed to shield offshore gas from higher environmental standards to come, and First Nations groups, who warn for the Minister of Resources to rewrite regulations on consultation.
On Monday King introduced changes that require the Environment Minister to agree that changes to the consultation are consistent with ecological sustainability development principles.
The amendments include a sunset clause so that breaches of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act will be phased out after 12 months.
Kirsty Howey, executive director of the NT Environment Centre, said the requirement for new regulations to be in line with ESD principles was “almost meaningless”.
Louise Morris, oil and gas campaign manager at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said ESD is a principle, not something with any legally enforceable powers or structures”.
Environmental groups have seized on a provision that, even if the Resources Minister fails to consult the Environment Minister, “the validity of the new regulations will not be affected”, according to the explanatory memorandum. Howey said this meant the new defense was “technically insignificant [and] nothing more than window dressing”.
A spokesman for King said: “If there is a disagreement between the two ministers, the regulations could still be validly made – however, if that happened bodies would have to seek separate environmental approval through the OPGGS Act and both through the Environmental Protection Act. and the Biodiversity Conservation Act.”
A group of First Nations advocates, including Raelene Cooper, Josie Alec and Bruce Pascoe, have written to the Albanian government warning them that the bill is a “betrayal”.
The group, which includes First Nations leaders with responsibilities for the land of the sea, will go to Canberra on Tuesday to lobby against the bill, which they said was “intended to take away our consultation rights, rights to be heard about developments on our sea Country that have an impact. our cultural heritage and our singing”.
On Monday Bandt tried to suspend standing orders in the House of Representatives, accusing Labor of being “more pro-gas than Scott Morrison”.
The Greens have offered government support to meet vehicle efficiency standards, in return for Labor dropping controversial provisions of the OPGGS bill.
Guardian Australia understands the government has given confidential briefings to stakeholders on vehicle emissions standards and is preparing to introduce minor reforms aimed at light commercial vehicles and utes to bring them in line with US changes.
Related: Could Labor disagreement over energy restore Plibersek’s veto on offshore gas projects? | Paul Karp
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said: “The changes being made to the US standards announced this week are obviously of interest to us, and they are one of the things we are considering when developing this policy. we bring to a conclusion.”
Car industry leaders, including a group who attended a government briefing on the new vehicle efficiency standard last week, called for changes including more credits to be added to the scheme, as is in the US version. An industry source who spoke to Guardian Australia was hopeful that the government would ease its proposed NVES in line with those concerns.
There are “super credits” for the cleanest vehicles, “off-cycle credits” for specific green technologies used in cars that are not measured in tailpipe emissions, and “air conditioning credits” for using greener refrigerants, except in the NVES model which less ambitious. considered but the government’s choice was not “option B”.
Earlier on Monday Bandt fired a warning shot on both gas and emissions standards, warning that “Labour must choose its dance partner on climate change”
In question time King accused the Greens of trying to “continue the lawyers’ licensing picnic” going through the courts, which she said had delayed traditional owners expressing their views.
A spokesman for King said “the bill is not and was not intended to exempt the resources sector from the nature of positive reforms”.
The Labor Environmental Action Network, which lobbied against aspects of the original bill, said the amendments were “a workable solution to a situation that threatened its own massive goal”.
Independent MPs Zali Steggall, Zoe Daniel, and Sophie Scamps criticized all the changes as not enough to fix the original bill.
Independent senator David Pocock said: “The Albanian government runs a backdoor approval process for offshore gas rigs.”
Australian Conservation Foundation national climate adviser Annika Reynolds said the ACF remained “deeply concerned” the reforms did not address its “core issues”.
