Hurricane Melissa claims lives in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba; Trump, Xi Jinping to meet in South Korea; Labor environment laws to be tabled today

Environment Minister Murray Watt said he was “very confident” the government could pass the legislation environmental law reforms will be presented to the federal parliament todayBut he said passage was a question of whether the Coalition or the Greens would come to the table.

Watt told ABC Radio National this morning: “The wider society, business and anyone who cares about our environment recognizes that after all the initiatives that have been taken to deliver this, it’s now or never. If we want to pass these reforms, we have to get our act together.”

“We can’t let this go on for another five years because every time we wait and every time we delay, we see the environment suffer and really important housing, renewable energy and other projects get put on hold by red tape.”

Labor has the capacity to pass the bill through the House of Representatives with its 94-seat majority. However, for the bill to pass the Senate, it must be negotiated with the Coalition or the Greens. While the Greens argue that the law is not enough to protect the environment, the Coalition says it will be a handbrake for business, meaning concessions must be made for the laws to pass.

Watt said the bill provides a balance, with project approvals being balanced under the policy. “If someone wanted to mine under Uluru or clear habitat in a way that would lead to the extinction of a species, I think most Australians would agree that such activities should simply not be happening,” Watt said.

“For this reason [the legislation is] a way to protect our environment from unacceptable actions. But this is also very important for business, because you may have heard many people in business say that they want a fast yes and a fast no. “This allows businesses to know in advance what kinds of projects might get an immediate no, and they don’t even have to bother racking up millions of dollars over time.”