Summary

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The majority voted in favour of a motion "That the amendments be agreed to." This means that the amended bill has now been passed in both houses of parliament and so can be made into law.

What do these amendments do?

According to the supplementary explanatory memorandum (which is a political document that was prepared by the Government itself):

The proposed amendments to the Bill would amend the EPBC Act to:

  • expand the scope of the water trigger to apply to all forms of unconventional gas development (rather than coal seam gas development) including activities involving unconventional gas (unconventional gas production) (by drilling, hydraulic fracturing, or other means), including from coal seams, shale rock, tight reservoirs, and any other sources prescribed by regulation. The water trigger will continue to apply to large coal mining development.

  • expand the scope of the Independent Expert Scientific Committee to provide advice on EPBC Act approvals involving unconventional gas developments, in addition to coal seam gas and large coal mining developments.

  • amend the name of the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC) to reflect the broadened remit (to Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Unconventional Gas Development and Large Coal Mining Development).

  • define what is meant by an unconventional gas development and unconventional gas production and allow for further sources to be added in regulations if there are emerging technologies that may need to be captured in future.

  • provide clarity in relation to the application of the expanded water trigger giving proponents greater certainty through explicitly excluding projects that are:

  • currently in production as approved under a Commonwealth, state or territory law or is a development that has permanently ceased extraction or production or where post-production has permanently ceased,

  • have an existing approval under Part 9 of the EPBC Act or notice of a proposed approval decision, or

  • have previously been determined to not need an approval under the EPBC Act (i.e. the action is not a controlled action, not a controlled action particular manner)

  • provide that relevant projects currently undergoing EPBC Act assessment (i.e. have been determined to be controlled actions under the EPBC Act but have not yet been approved) will need to be assessed for impacts on water resources.

What does the bill do?

According to the bills digest summary:

  • The Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 (NRM Bill) seeks to establish the legislative framework for a voluntary national market in biodiversity certificates. The market would enable project proponents to undertake – on a range of land tenures, including in aquatic environments and the ocean to the extent of Australia’s territorial sea (generally, 12 nautical miles from the coast) – projects that protect or enhance biodiversity. The project proponent would be able to apply to the Clean Energy Regulator for a unique biodiversity certificate that could then be sold to interested persons in the market.
  • The NRM Bill is framework legislation, with significant elements of the scheme to be provided in a series of legislative instruments to be made by the Minister, including rules, biodiversity assessment instruments and methodology determinations.
  • The Nature Repair Market (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023 makes minor amendments to the Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011 and National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 to facilitate operation of the proposed scheme.
  • The Bills indirectly respond to two key reports and reviews relating to the state of Australia’s biodiversity, the State of the Environment Report 2021 and the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Samuel Review). These highlight the deteriorating state of terrestrial and marine biodiversity and the failure of our national environmental law to adequately protect Australia’s biodiversity and iconic places.
  • Over 400 submissions were made to 2 rounds of consultation undertaken by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
  • A review of submissions indicates stakeholder views’ range from cautiously optimistic – largely in recognition of the urgent need to increase investment in the protection and enhancement of biodiversity – to highly critical of a broad range of policy and technical issues. Chief among these are concerns about market-led commodification of nature and the integration of the proposed market with the still-to-be-implemented reform of Australia’s national environmental laws. A large number of submitters were of the view that the Bills should not progress until those reforms are finalised.

Votes Passed by a small majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Australian Greens (75% turnout) 3 Yes 0 No
Adam Bandt Melbourne Yes
Stephen Bates Brisbane Yes
Elizabeth Watson-Brown Ryan Yes
Max Chandler-Mather Griffith Absent
Australian Labor Party (91% turnout) 69 Yes 0 No
Anne Aly Cowan Yes
Michelle Ananda-Rajah Higgins Yes
Tony Burke Watson Yes
Matt Burnell Spence Yes
Josh Burns Macnamara Yes
Mark Butler Hindmarsh Yes
Alison Byrnes Cunningham Yes
Jim Chalmers Rankin Yes
Andrew Charlton Parramatta Yes
Lisa Chesters Bendigo Yes
Jason Clare Blaxland Yes
Sharon Claydon Newcastle Yes
Libby Coker Corangamite Yes
Julie Collins Franklin Yes
Mary Doyle Aston Yes
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs Yes
Justine Elliot Richmond Yes
Cassandra Fernando Holt Yes
Mike Freelander Macarthur Yes
Carina Garland Chisholm Yes
Steve Georganas Adelaide Yes
Andrew Giles Scullin Yes
Patrick Gorman Perth Yes
Luke Gosling Solomon Yes
Julian Hill Bruce Yes
Ed Husic Chifley Yes
Stephen Jones Whitlam Yes
Ged Kearney Cooper Yes
Matt Keogh Burt Yes
Peter Khalil Wills Yes
Catherine King Ballarat Yes
Madeleine King Brand Yes
Tania Lawrence Hasluck Yes
Jerome Laxale Bennelong Yes
Andrew Leigh Fenner Yes
Zaneta Mascarenhas Swan Yes
Kristy McBain Eden-Monaro Yes
Emma McBride Dobell Yes
Louise Miller-Frost Boothby Yes
Brian Mitchell Lyons Yes
Rob Mitchell McEwen Yes
Daniel Mulino Fraser Yes
Shayne Neumann Blair Yes
Brendan O'Connor Gorton Yes
Clare O'Neil Hotham Yes
Alicia Payne Canberra Yes
Graham Perrett Moreton Yes
Fiona Phillips Gilmore Yes
Tanya Plibersek Sydney Yes
Sam Rae Hawke Yes
Gordon Reid Robertson Yes
Dan Repacholi Hunter Yes
Amanda Rishworth Kingston Yes
Tracey Roberts Pearce Yes
Michelle Rowland Greenway Yes
Joanne Ryan Lalor Yes
Marion Scrymgour Lingiari Yes
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong Yes
Sally Sitou Reid Yes
David Smith Bean Yes
Anne Stanley Werriwa Yes
Meryl Swanson Paterson Yes
Susan Templeman Macquarie Yes
Kate Thwaites Jagajaga Yes
Maria Vamvakinou Calwell Yes
Tim Watts Gellibrand Yes
Anika Wells Lilley Yes
Josh Wilson Fremantle Yes
Tony Zappia Makin Yes
Anthony Albanese Grayndler Absent
Chris Bowen McMahon Absent
Linda Burney Barton Absent
Pat Conroy Shortland Absent
Sam Lim Tangney Absent
Richard Marles Corio Absent
Matt Thistlethwaite Kingsford Smith Absent
Rebekha Sharkie Mayo Centre Alliance Yes
Mark Coulton Parkes Deputy Speaker No
Kate Chaney Curtin Independent Yes
Zoe Daniel Goldstein Independent Yes
Andrew Gee Calare Independent Yes
Helen Haines Indi Independent Yes
Dai Le Fowler Independent Yes
Monique Ryan Kooyong Independent Yes
Allegra Spender Wentworth Independent Yes
Zali Steggall Warringah Independent Yes
Kylea Tink North Sydney Independent Yes
Andrew Wilkie Clark Independent Yes
Russell Broadbent Monash Independent No
Sophie Scamps Mackellar Independent Absent
Bob Katter Kennedy Katter's Australian Party Absent
Liberal National Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 9 No
Angie Bell Moncrieff No
Colin Boyce Flynn No
Cameron Caldwell Fadden No
Garth Hamilton Groom No
Henry Pike Bowman No
Phillip Thompson Herbert No
Andrew Wallace Fisher No
Andrew Willcox Dawson No
Terry Young Longman No
Liberal Party (85% turnout) 0 Yes 28 No
Karen Andrews McPherson No
Bridget Archer Bass No
Scott Buchholz Wright No
David Coleman Banks No
Warren Entsch Leichhardt No
Paul Fletcher Bradfield No
Ian Goodenough Moore No
Andrew Hastie Canning No
Alex Hawke Mitchell No
Luke Howarth Petrie No
Julian Leeser Berowra No
Sussan Ley Farrer No
Nola Marino Forrest No
Melissa McIntosh Lindsay No
Zoe McKenzie Flinders No
Tony Pasin Barker No
Gavin Pearce Braddon No
Melissa Price Durack No
Rowan Ramsey Grey No
James Stevens Sturt No
Michael Sukkar Deakin No
Angus Taylor Hume No
Dan Tehan Wannon No
Bert Van Manen Forde No
Aaron Violi Casey No
Jenny Ware Hughes No
Keith Wolahan Menzies No
Jason Wood La Trobe No
Peter Dutton Dickson Absent
Scott Morrison Cook Absent
Ted O'Brien Fairfax Absent
Ross Vasta Bonner Absent
Rick Wilson O'Connor Absent
National Party (83% turnout) 0 Yes 10 No
Sam Birrell Nicholls No
Darren Chester Gippsland No
Pat Conaghan Cowper No
Kevin Hogan Page No
Barnaby Joyce New England No
David Littleproud Maranoa No
Michael McCormack Riverina No
Llew O'Brien Wide Bay No
Keith Pitt Hinkler No
Anne Webster Mallee No
David Gillespie Lyne Absent
Michelle Landry Capricornia Absent
Milton Dick Oxley Speaker Absent
Totals (88% turnout) 83 Yes – 49 No