Labor’s “irreparable” nature bill sparks Senate clash

The Greens and the Coalition are expected to team up to block a critical nature bill, setting up another legislative battle over environmental laws for the government in the Senate.

The Greens and the Coalition to team up to block Labor’s bill to establsih a scheme incentivsing investment in nature restoration projects

The Greens and the Coalition are expected to team up to block Labor’s bill to establish a scheme to incentivise investment in nature restoration projects, setting up another legislative battle over environmental laws for the government in the Senate.

The Greens will hold the balance of power on Labor’s nature repair bill in the upper house after the Coalition withdrew its support over concerns it would risk agricultural land being taken up by large emitters for offset schemes following the passage of the government’s climate policy.

Greens environmental spokes­woman Sarah Hanson-Young said the bill was “irreparable” without stronger environ­mental reforms, including a climate trigger and an end to ­native forest logging.

“Without a climate trigger to stop pollution and a ban on native forest logging, the government‘s environment plan is not really an environment plan at all,” Senator Hanson Young said.

“We are always willing to speak with the minister about how to best stop the destruction of our environment, but as it stands the Nature Repair Market seems irreparable.”

The Greens’ position sets up a legislative clash on climate policy in the upper house just months after the passage of Labor’s revamped safeguard mechanism.

Labor may also face opposition to the bill from other upper house crossbenchers including independent senator David Pocock who has significant concerns with the proposed model, including the role of offsets and the need for government investment to establish the market.

The Coalition introduced a similar bill before the last election and had resolved to support the government’s legislation earlier this year, but it now believes the bill has “diverged far too far” from the party’s own proposal.

Nationals leader David Littleproud told parliament “the government has let its ideology take away the practical reality and the safeguards that are required for agriculture and farming families in regional communities”.

But Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the Nationals were preventing “farmers from getting rewarded for looking after their land”.

She said the bill was good for farmers, traditional owners and landholders and would help protect nature, and the Nationals and the Greens were at odds with the National Farmers Federation, the Northern Land Council, Farmers for Climate Action and Landcare.