17 June 2025
The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:29): I rise to speak on the Biodiversity Bill 2025 on behalf of the Greens, and in so doing I indicate that I will of course be supporting the bill with some amendments. I also understand that the Leader of the Opposition will be moving to refer this matter on to a committee, as she indicated in her second reading remarks. I indicate that I will not be supporting that.
Whilst I recognise that this bill is one of some complexity, I do not accept that it is necessary to refer the bill on to a committee at this time. In particular, I am concerned that to do so could burden a committee that already has quite a full workload at the moment and also potentially kick this bill down the road and prevent there being action on this important area before the election. I think that would be a regrettable outcome.
I note the comments of the Hon. Ms Game. I welcome the fact that she has freed herself from One Nation. I do encourage her, now that she is free of the shackles of that political party, to think more deeply on these issues, because a number of the statements that she has made about the impact of this legislation in creating some master bureaucracy that does not deliver real outcomes are simply not true. I urge her to think again with respect to some of these issues now that she is no longer wedded to the toxic One Nation brand.
Biodiversity is one of the most important elements of environmental protection. This bill gives an opportunity to make a huge impact on protecting our natural environment. Since colonisation here in Australia, it is estimated that in South Australia 73 species—41 plants and 32 animals—have become extinct. That is devastating when we consider that South Australia is home to many unusual species of flora and fauna as a result of our unique climate and environment. These extinct species were destroyed as a result of that colonisation, and they have been wiped out in the last 200 years.
The 2023 State of the Environment Report paints a harsh picture. The report states that, unless urgent measures are taken, the climate emergency and biodiversity losses will become crises for the environment and our communities. Our remaining native ecosystems are collapsing under the combined weight of habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species and pollution. Globally we are witnessing what scientists are now referring to as the sixth mass extinction event. This era is defined as a rapid decline in biodiversity driven by human activity.
Previous mass extinction events have been caused by natural phenomena. The sixth mass extinction is caused by the unsustainable use of land, water and energy, combined with the change in climate. Unless we act decisively, as called for by the State of the Environment Report, we will see further destruction of our biodiversity in the future.
Not only is this a matter of protecting our precious environment, there is also, of course, an important economic argument as well. South Australia's unique environment is a tourism drawcard and allows us to have a healthy agricultural sector when paired with regenerative farming practices. Our approach to date, however, has not fully considered the importance of critical habitats or the long-term value of our native flora and fauna. Our laws to date have been too easy to get around, poorly enforced and easily overcome by those with vested interests in making money from our state's precious resources.
We invest a fraction of what is needed in conservation, while we subsidise those very industries that drive habitat destruction. The Greens have been calling for many years for the Labor Party to end subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, because we know that those industries are driving climate change and driving the extinction of some of our native flora and fauna. Let's not forget the catastrophic algal bloom event that we have seen in recent months and the destruction that has caused.
The bill before us today brings a positive approach to protecting our biodiversity. It puts the responsibility on all of us to promote biodiversity. By introducing a general duty on everyone to not harm or potentially harm biodiversity, this bill makes clear that we do not accept any excuses when it comes to protecting our environment.
Importantly, the bill also embeds First Nations knowledge and care for country. As custodians of this land for millennia, First Nations people have been the most successful environmental managers on these soils. Their traditional ecological knowledge offers proven pathways to living sustainably within natural limits. This bill ensures that First Nations people are consulted in changes, ensures their strong connection to the land is considered and also enables cultural practices to continue, which of course is appropriate.
A number of statutory bodies are established in this bill to oversee the administration of the act, and we are pleased to see that many of these functions are conferred on those with sufficient experience, not simply those who shift their positions in light of the political environment of the day. This will ensure we have strong protections that are consistent and unable to be eroded by poor decision-making.
This is a significant bill, so I will not go into all the detail about all the individual provisions. I understand we are going to have a bit of time to do that at the committee stage. I do want to acknowledge, however, that this bill establishes some good governance for our biodiversity moving forward. We do, however, think there could be some improvements, and it is for that reason that the Greens will be advancing a number of amendments. I will talk through some of those in general terms now, but of course I will have an opportunity to go through those in more detail during the committee stage.
Firstly, we believe that climate change is key to this bill, so we will be moving an amendment that inserts into the objects of the act a clause that requires biodiversity to be linked to climate change and that notes that addressing biodiversity is important in addressing climate change.
Secondly, we aim to insert a principle that biodiversity should not be lost to new gas projects. We have seen, in the Lock the Gate campaign, that people in rural areas, in particular, have strong opposition to gas exploration on their properties. It is equally important that we protect native vegetation and habitat from incursion by gas exploration. The Greens have long stood against new gas exploration, as our country already produces far more than our domestic need. We do not need to allow the export of gas to ruin our environment.
We will also move to ensure that the minister responsible for the Commissioner of Public Works Incorporation Act and the Motor Vehicles Act cannot be given this new act to administer. If we are going to carve out the Minister for Planning and the Minister for Mining, we should also consider the conflict that could arise if the minister is undertaking major transport infrastructure projects and also taking responsibility for this act.
We do not see why we need to have a member on the Biodiversity Council who is recommended by the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy. This is going to create a serious conflict as there are often tensions between the need to protect biodiversity and the desire to derive profits from resources that govern the focus of these companies. We will move amendments that replace that member of the Biodiversity Council with someone who is recommended by the South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament. We believe that the First Nations Voice should have a seat at the table when the Biodiversity Council is providing advice, preparing guidelines and administering the biodiversity fund.
The environment sector have asked us to consider that the Scientific Committee are best placed to make listings under section 6 of the bill, rather than the minister. I agree with that assessment, and so I will be moving a series of amendments to bring that into effect. It is important to make sure we have clear, evidence-based decision-making when it comes to these matters. Our amendments will ensure that lists maintained to protect threatened species are not subject to the whim of political leaders; instead, the Scientific Committee will be charged with making those decisions.
The cost of ecosystem collapse could result in failed harvests, water shortages, climate disasters and the mass extinction of species. The cost of such collapse is much higher than if we take action now to prevent those ecosystems from failing. Every species we save is worth it. Future generations will judge us not by the short-term profits that are generated but by the world we leave behind. Every time we make a decision that harms our environment we are further from leaving this place better than we found it. We hope that the changes in this legislation provide sufficient protection to promote further biodiversity across our state.
Before concluding my remarks, I want to acknowledge the leadership of the Deputy Premier and environment minister, the Hon. Susan Close, in bringing this bill forward. I know that the minister is passionate about environmental protection, and I welcome this matter coming before the chamber today. I also want to thank the minister's office for the collegial way in which they have engaged with my team, in particular Emily Gore, who I understand has been providing assistance to my office. I also want to acknowledge the work of Melanie Selwood, my adviser, who has been working through the details of this over the last few weeks. With that, I conclude my remarks and look forward to the committee stage.