Honourable Speaker, this report is a decade late and it is an absolute shame on this government to let it get so far and to then have the audacity to rise today and talk about the steady improvements over a decade. This report clearly shows how absolutely terrible Tasmania's environment is actually doing.
I rise today to talk about a matter of public importance: the State of the Environment report. We are doing this today because yesterday was indeed a milestone day, a red‑letter day in the last decade or so of Tasmania's governance of the environment.
For a decade you and your Liberal colleagues have called the Greens and the environmental movement kooky, anti-everything extremists, all while you have been trashing our forests, coastlines, protected areas and waterways and changing the law to lock up those who resist your crimes against nature.
In breach of the law, your government has refused to produce a State of the Environment report for a decade. For that decade, the Liberals have put vested interests in big corporations first and the environment last, and now the evidence of consequences is in. Of the report's 29 environmental indicators, over half are getting worse and already in a devastating state.
The long-awaited State of the Environment Report paints a dire picture of lutruwita/Tasmania’s environmental health, with nearly two thirds of key environmental indicators in decline or rated poor.
The Liberals will be forced to release the 2024 State of Environment Report ahead of the Budget Estimates process following a successful Greens’ motion in Parliament today.
Honourable Speaker, I think the other Greens have made a very comprehensive case. I will just add the previous State of Environment Report 2009. Maybe Ms Finlay has not read it and is not aware of it. One of the sections that report deals with is people and places.
Honourable Speaker, this is a curious amendment to be proposing based on the vibe of the Greens' argument, when it was the minister that incited that, for lack of a better word, 'debate'.
Honourable Speaker, there is really only one word I have for this: pathetic. You accept that this clause is based in fact.
Thank you, honourable Deputy Speaker, and minister, thanks for your spray. I beg the question, what have you got to hide? You have the report; you articulate that your ministers have 600 pages to work through, but you are willing to give members of this House a weekend to work through it before Budget estimates.
