TRANSCRIPT
Labor and the Greens have secured a deal which would allocate hundreds of gigalitres of water to the environment in the Murray-Darling Basin through Commonwealth buy-backs.
Labor agreed to key amendments to the bill in exchange for the Greens' support, including improvements to transparency and ensuring First Nations people play a stronger role in decision-making.
The deadline for returning water to the Murray-Darling basin has now also been pushed back to the end of 2027.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says the amendments improve the bill, and allow for progress at a critical time.
“We know that as we go into another hot dry spell, it is more critical than ever that we deliver fully on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. I'm very pleased to say today that Labor has been negotiating with the Greens party, and that we have agreed to a number of significant amendments to the Restoring our Rivers bill, which will improve the bill and allow the Greens party to vote to support the restoring our rivers bill in the Senate.”
National Party senator Perin Davey says the amendments have also stripped protections for farmers, which had allowed buybacks only if their socio-economic impact was neutral or positive.
“We've just heard that the minister acknowledges that buybacks hurt rural and regional Murray Darling Basin communities, but they don't care because this bill removes the socio and economic test for water recovery under that 450 gigalitre plan.”
But Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the return of water is essential for environmental sustainability and future agricultural viability in the area.
“Now for the first time the minister for environment will have a legal, enforcable obligation to recover the 450 gigalitres and deliver real water for the environment, in full, and on time. The truth is you can't eat cotton, and you can't drink mud, and there are no jobs on a dead planet or a dead river.”
The proposed laws will be introduced to the Senate this week, after previous negotiations with the Greens had stalled.
Meanwhile, the government has announced it will be investing a further $225 million for the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force to monitor the release of immigration detainees previously held in indefinite detention.
It comes as a further 45 people have been released, following a High Court decision which ruled indefinite detention to be unlawful, bringing the total number of people released to 138.
Home Affairs minister Claire O'Neil says the boost in funding ensures Australian Border Force and police staff are adequately equipped to respond if there are any breaches of visa conditions.
“So just so you've got clarity about the resourcing, this is a $255 million dollar a year package of which $150 million will go to Australian Border Force, $88 million will go to the Australian Federal Police. The the model that we're using here is ABF essentially does the monitoring, then the moment there is a breach a breach of the conditions, the case is handed to the AFP for investigation and prosecution.”
Human rights lawyers have condemned previous legislation pushed through the parliament earlier in November ((16 November)), which subject those released to mandatory curfews and indefinite electronic monitoring devices.
But Liberal spokesman for Immigration and Citizenship Dan Tehan says there is still uncertainty around how many of the former detainees are being monitored.
“So $255 million doesn't clear up that uncertainty. What we need to hear from the government is how many of those 140 are being monitored; how many of them are wearing ankle bracelets. The community deserves to know. These are hardened criminals. These include child sex offenders and we are getting no information from the government.”
It comes as the Labor government introduces a new set of migration amendments that would add new visa conditions for the former detainees and criminalise breaches of these conditions.
These amendments include making it an offence to work with another person who is a minor or vulnerable person, or to go near a school or childcare centre.
Minister for Immigration Andrew Giles says the government is committed to introducing durable laws that will ensure community safety into the future.
“Today we are introducing a bill that will make tough laws even tougher. The Migration Amendment Bridging Visa Conditions and Other Measures Bill 2023 will introduce new criminal offenses for people recently released from immigration detention as a direct consequence of the High Court's decision NZYQ. Importantly, we are making these laws durable by getting ahead of any potential future challenges.”
