Joint Media Release – Duniam, McDonald, Nampijinpa Price – LAST CHANCE FOR LABOR TO REDEEM ITSELF FOR DISASTROUS MCPHILLAMYS DECISION

19 November 2024

Labor Senators and members of the crossbench will have a final opportunity to right the wrong that the Federal Government inflicted on the central west of New South Wales as the Coalition will put to a vote its Bill to overturn Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s disastrous section 10 declaration in the Senate tomorrow morning.

Since the disallowance motion seeking to overturn the declaration was voted down in September, further information has come to light on the bungled nature of Minister Plibersek’s decision which, Shadow Environment Minister Jonno Duniam says, should give pause for thought for Senators, particularly from New South Wales:

“We now have a better understanding of how flawed Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s decision was,” Senator Duniam said. “The Minister didn’t even seek the independent cultural heritage expert’s specialist advice on the legitimacy of the blue-banded bee Dreaming story, which the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council (OLALC) says does not even exist.”

“We need this decision overturned as soon as possible to save the 800 jobs, the hundreds of millions of royalties for the state of New South Wales and to indicate to resources businesses that sensible decisions regarding approvals can be made in the interests of balancing the environment and the economy.”

Shadow Resources Minister Susan McDonald: “This Government has spent two and a half years undermining the strength of the economy – our resources sector.”

“The layering of anti-investment policy has culminated in an outright block on a billion-dollar development in New South Wales, bowing to activist pressure from Sydney-based Greens.”

Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price: “The government is fast running out of allies who support Minister Plibersek’s termination of the project besides the Greens and members of their ideological neighbourhood, such as the EDO.

Any refusal by the government to support this Bill will prove they are complicit in lawfare and exploitation of Indigenous Australians and cultural heritage to progress anti-development ideals.”