EPBC: Environment law overhaul talks go down to wire with Government locked in talks with Coalition, Greens

Negotiations to land the overhaul of Federal environmental laws are coming down to the wire with the Government locked into hours of talks with both the Coalition and the Greens on Wednesday in a bid to land a deal before Parliament rises.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reportedly joined talks with Greens leader Larissa Waters and environment spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young.

Neither the Prime Minister’s office nor the Greens would comment.

His intervention came after Environment Minister Murray Watt spent several hours in discussions with his shadow counterpart Angie Bell and senior Liberal frontbencher Jonno Duniam on Wednesday.

The Coalition finally started discussing details of a preferred definition of “unacceptable impacts”, which is a key concern for industry, although no agreement had been struck.

Some stakeholders were shocked to discover the Coalition hadn’t put forward its preferred definition of the key sticking point for industry by late on Tuesday, despite advocacy groups drawing up suggested versions.

Senator Watt blasted the Coalition’s shambolic negotiation tactics on Tuesday.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley on Tuesday said she was open to meeting Mr Albanese and thrash out a deal leader-to-leader, however this had not happened by Wednesday afternoon.

Industry sources believe the Greens might also be open to shifting on the “unacceptable impacts” definition in exchange for some of the other changes they want to see to the bills.

As the negotiations continued, the head of the small miners’ peak body urged everyone to get on board, fearing that a delay until March could mean the much-needed overhaul never happens.

Association of Mining and Exploration Companies chief executive Warren Pearce said it would be preferable for the “parties of government” – Labor and the Coalition – to get past the stalemate and work together to offer industry certainty after five long years of work on new laws.

“There’s still momentum to actually get this done now,” he said.

“I’m concerned and indeed industry’s concerned, if we go back to the table for the next eight or 12 weeks, into next year, parties will retreat to their corners, they’ll be very difficult to come back to even where we’re at now.”

AMEC representatives along with the Mineral Council of Australia’s Tania Constable and the Business Council of Australia’s Bran Black were in Parliament House on Wednesday to press their positions.

The Opposition has been insisting on seven changes to the legislation that align with those backed by the MCA, BCA and 23 other business groups.

However, AMEC says it is only really concerned about the “unacceptable impacts” definition now.

Meanwhile, WA Premier Roger Cook has weighed in to the negotiations over the Federal environmental law overhaul, publicly urging the Liberals to back in the changes.

The WA Premier said the laws were what the WA industry and community wanted.

“l’ve got a message for our federal Liberal Party representatives from Western Australia,” he said in a video posted to social media.

“It’s time to put the State’s interests first. It’s time to put the national interest first.

“For the sake of WA jobs and the WA environment, et behind Murray Watt’s environmental laws and pass them through the Senate.”

It’s Mr Cook’s first definitive comments about the laws, which will have a major impact on the resources sector.