Summary

Edit

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Greens Senator Christine Milne, which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) the Tarkine is the last great unprotected wilderness in southern Australia and is recognised to be of World Heritage significance,

(ii) the Tarkine has been under consideration for inclusion on the National Heritage List since 2004, making it the longest continuous assessment process in the history of the National Heritage process,

(iii) the delay in heritage listing means mining companies only need be assessed on potential impacts on threatened species and not the impacts on heritage values, which include wilderness, geological, cultural, flora and fauna diversity and natural history values,

(iv) the recently referred Venture Minerals Limited tin, tungsten, copper and hematite mine at Mt Lindsay is a Pilbara style open cut super pit to a depth of 220 metres that will devastate an area of 3.5 km by 3 km of the Tarkine rainforest wilderness,

(v) this proposed pit is within an existing reserve and is completely inconsistent with the protection of the Tarkine,

(vi) the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (Mr Burke) is legally unable to consider the impacts on the rainforest, the 25 watercourses to be disrupted, or the recognised wilderness values of the area in the mine's assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the Act) unless the Tarkine is heritage listed, and

(vii) a diseased Tasmanian devil has been discovered on the eastern side of the Arthur River, making the area to the west of the Arthur River the only disease free part of Tasmania, highlighting the urgent need to permanently protect the Tarkine from further major developments, including mining and roading that directly threaten the devil; and

(b) calls on the Minister to:

(i) immediately include the Tarkine on the National Heritage List before he considers the Venture Minerals Limited proposed mine under the Act,

(ii) acknowledge that Venture Minerals Limited has deliberately split the project for assessment purposes,

(iii) require Venture Minerals Limited to submit the entire mining proposal for the Tarkine area for assessment,

(iv) recognise that failure to list the Tarkine before 2 December 2011 is a deliberate choice to exclude heritage values from the mine proposal assessment, and

(v) acknowledge that a decision not to list the Tarkine on the National Heritage List is a decision to prioritise mining over the protection of wilderness values.

Votes Not passed by a modest majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Australian Greens (100% turnout) 9 Yes 0 No
Bob Brown Tasmania Yes
Richard Di Natale Victoria Yes
Sarah Hanson-Young SA Yes
Scott Ludlam WA Yes
Christine Milne Tasmania Yes
Lee Rhiannon NSW Yes
Rachel Siewert WA Yes
Larissa Waters Queensland Yes
Penny Wright SA Yes
Australian Labor Party (70% turnout) 0 Yes 21 No
Catryna Bilyk Tasmania No
Carol Brown Tasmania No
Doug Cameron NSW No
Kim Carr Victoria No
Trish Crossin NT No
John Faulkner NSW No
David Feeney Victoria No
Mark Furner Queensland No
Alex Gallacher SA No
Joe Ludwig Queensland No
Kate Lundy ACT No
Gavin Marshall Victoria No
Anne McEwen SA No
Jan McLucas Queensland No
Claire Moore Queensland No
Louise Pratt WA No
Lisa Singh Tasmania No
Ursula Stephens NSW No
Glenn Sterle WA No
Matt Thistlethwaite NSW No
Anne Urquhart Tasmania No
Mark Arbib NSW Absent
Mark Bishop WA Absent
Jacinta Collins Victoria Absent
Stephen Conroy Victoria Absent
Chris Evans WA Absent
Don Farrell SA Absent
Helen Polley Tasmania Absent
Nick Sherry Tasmania Absent
Penny Wong SA Absent
Nigel Scullion NT Country Liberal Party Absent
John Madigan Victoria Democratic Labor Party No
Stephen Parry Tasmania Deputy President Absent
Nick Xenophon SA Independent No
Liberal Party (59% turnout) 0 Yes 16 No
Judith Adams WA No
Christopher Back WA No
Simon Birmingham SA No
Sue Boyce Queensland No
George Brandis Queensland No
Michaelia Cash WA No
Richard Colbeck Tasmania No
Mathias Cormann WA No
Sean Edwards SA No
Alan Eggleston WA No
David Fawcett SA No
Mitch Fifield Victoria No
Mary Fisher SA No
Helen Kroger Victoria No
Stephen Parry Tasmania No
Arthur Sinodinos NSW No
Eric Abetz Tasmania Absent
Cory Bernardi SA Absent
David Bushby Tasmania Absent
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells NSW Absent
Bill Heffernan NSW Absent
Gary Humphries ACT Absent
David Johnston WA Absent
Ian Macdonald Queensland Absent
Brett Mason Queensland Absent
Marise Payne NSW Absent
Michael Ronaldson Victoria Absent
Scott Ryan Victoria Absent
National Party (60% turnout) 0 Yes 3 No
Bridget McKenzie Victoria No
Fiona Nash NSW No
John Williams NSW No
Ron Boswell Queensland Absent
Barnaby Joyce Queensland Absent
John Hogg Queensland President Absent
Totals (67% turnout) 9 Yes – 42 No