A heated exchange erupted in a Canberra Senate hearing as Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young mocked mining industry concerns about proposed environmental legislation, telling lobbyists 'boo-hoo' over their complaints.
Mining Industry Demands Clarity
Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Tania Constable used the Friday hearing to reiterate a key industry demand: a single, clear definition of what constitutes an 'unacceptable impact' from a mining project. The proposed overhaul of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, introduced to Parliament in late October, reportedly contains 37 different definitions of the term.
Ms Constable argued this ambiguity makes it 'all too hard' for miners to plan and advance crucial projects, calling for a unified definition to provide certainty for the sector.
Greens Senator's Sarcastic Retort
The industry's plea was met with a sarcastic and dismissive response from Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. She directly interrupted Ms Constable, jibing that the proposed legislation had 'been written for' the mining industry.
'How about don't mine in koala habitat? How about don't mine in native forest? It's all too hard for the mining industry, boo-hoo,' the Senator said. 'You push and push... this legislation has been written for you and it's still not good enough.'
Clash Over Emissions Disclosures
The tension extended to a separate exchange between the Senator and Warren Pearce, the boss of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC). The debate centred on requiring industry to provide additional greenhouse gas and mitigation disclosures.
Mr Pearce warned that rejecting any project with a 'positive emissions profile' would have a 'pretty substantial impact on our economic development here in Australia.' He stated that companies are already providing this data and are now being asked to duplicate efforts.
Senator Hanson-Young directly challenged this, asserting that companies were being asked to do 'nothing extra.' The hearing is one of several scheduled for November as the government aims to finalise the environmental law changes by the end of the year.
