Australian news and politics live: Parliament greenlights landmark environmental law reforms

Michael McCormack has described Labor’s deal with the Greens on environmental law reform as a “disappointing” way to end a “disappointing” year for the Coalition.

After the laws passed the House in an extended sitting on Friday, Mr McCormack said the Coalition would have “lick our wounds” and come back revved up and ready to fight when Parliament returns on February 3.

“This is a disappointing day, to end a disappointing year I suppose for the Coalition but we live on,” the Nationals MP told Sky on Friday.

“We’ll go away lick our wounds come back in February and keep fighting for it on behalf of those Australians who still believe that we should be still making things here in Australia, who still believe that we should have lower power prices, and who know that there’s a cheaper, barter fairer way for our energy system and of course emission reduction.

“I’ll be fighting hard over summer.”

He claimed the reforms would just add another level of “complexity and compliance” for the business, farming and mining sectors.

“You know when Labor does a deal with the Greens, their favoured bed mates, it cannot be good for manufacturing in Australia, it can’t be good for ‘made in Australia’, it can’t be good for Australian jobs,” Mr McCormack said.

As Federal Parliament rises for another year the staff behind the scenes have changed the running order of business to a Christmas-themed schedule.

On Friday, the official landing page for the “dynamic read” run sheet — which usually lists the day’s schedule for Australia’s Federal Parliament — had been renamed to “​Dynamic Rudolph​” (or Dynamic Rüd for short).

The schedule had also changed to a sitting of “Santa’s Senate” on Christmas eve.

“It’s a little-known fact that Rudolph is the official minute-taker for all meetings of Santa’s Senate,” the introductory note stated.

“This groundbreaking system provides real-time updates of Santa’s agenda and helps the elves follow what’s happened, what’s currently being discussed on the Workshop Floor, and what’s left on the agenda.”

It states proceedings on December 24 will start at 10am with “official Ho, Ho, Hos” before moving on to Santa’s response to a resolution about workplace safety while decking the halls.

Later in the date, Santa’s Senate is expected to hear a private reindeer’s bill relating to the Rudolph Distribution Amendment (Joining in Reindeer Games) Bill 2025.

It claimed documents outlining who was “naughty or nice” would be “twice-checked” and the session would conclude at 5pm with Christmas Carols without notice.

Other notable mentions on the agenda include a North Pole Standing Committee hearing into Christmas motives, and considerations over wish list reports.

Liberal MP Andrew Wallace has backed the Coalition’s shadow environmental spokeswoman Angie Bell after the Coalition was snubbed by Labor and instead struck a reform deal with The Greens.

Speaking on Sky on Friday after the landmark Bill passed the House of Representatives in an extended session, Mr Wallace said she had done “a terrific job”.

It comes after Anthony Albanese accused the Coalition of being “messy” in their negotiations, and Ms Bell accused Labor of doing “dodgy, dirty deals” with the Greens in the middle of the night while leading the Coalition on.

“We’ve been trying to negotiate. Angie Bell, our spokesperson, has done a terrific job to date, and I’m sure she will in the future,” Mr Wallace said.

“But ultimately, this week demonstrated is that the government was playing the Greens off against the Coalition.

“It’s very, very clear that industry, where jobs are created, is disappointed by the outcomes.

“These reforms will cost jobs, it’ll drive up inflation, and it’ll have a very chilling effect on investment in this country.”

Labor’s recently dumped Attorney General Mark Dreyfus has been appointed Australia’s new Special Envoy for International Human Rights.

The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have announced the Victorian backbencher will take up the role of renewing Australia’s tradition as a global champion for human rights in addition to his parliamentary duties.

In a statement, the government praised Mr Dreyfus as “one of the most accomplished and widely respected parliamentarians of recent decades”.

“He has served as Attorney-General and Cabinet Secretary in two governments, and before entering parliament was a prominent barrister for twenty years.”

The Environment Minister Murray Watt has praised various stakeholders for their work after the overhaul of Australia’s outdated environmental laws passed Parliament this morning.

Senator Watt thanked his predecessor Tanya Plibersek, stakeholders including the mining companies that worked closely with him, environmental groups, and Graham Samuel who reviewed the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act five years ago.

“Now the job, of course, is to get on and implement these reforms. No easy task, but an important task made easier by the fact that the House of Representatives has now passed these laws,” he said.

The Environment Minister Murray Watt says the long-awaited overhaul of environmental laws through Parliament is “a great day for Australia’s environment”.

This morning the changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation passed the House of Representatives 89 votes to 34 and was met with applause from members voting in favour and silence from the Coalition.

Senator Watt has also called on the oppostion to end its “scare campaign” on the timber industry in Tasmania, saying the “lies” should stop.

Reforms to Australia’s environmental laws have passed the Federal Parliament more than five years after a major review into the outdated laws.

It comes after Labor struck a deal with the Greens this week on the legislation which amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1991.

Politicians had stayed back in Canberra on Friday after the landmark bill passed the Senate overnight.

The bill was passed in the House of Representatives 89-34 and was met with applause from members voting in favour and silence from the Coalition.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and her Coalition colleagues have been vocal in the House of Representatives today for an extended sitting on Australia’s environmental laws.

In response to the Bill returning from the Senate after Labor struck a deal with the Greens instead of the Coalition, Ms Ley accused them of making “economy wrecking” concessions to ram the Bill through Parliament.

Ms Ley has accused the parties of bringing the “Labor-Greens Alliance back in business” for a “lazy deal with the Greens”.

“This is economy-wrecking. There were people the Prime Minister didn’t reference in his remarks that need to be referenced, these are the people who pay the country’s bills, who provide jobs, who make our country strong, and who have been completely ignored by the Bill and by the amendments.”

She went on to reference the Minerals Council calling the changes “inferior” and energy producers saying it will “put approvals in the slow lane”.

“You have no gas strategy now. You have nothing to provide the power and the affordability to bring people’s energy prices down,” Ms Ley said, as her party heckled towards Labor behind her.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has slammed the Coalition over their handling of negotiations for reforms to Australia’s environmental laws.

In a stinging speech in the House on Friday morning, he accused the Coalition of being a “mess” when responding to Labor’s “good faith negotiations”. Labor has instead struck a deal with the Greens.

“Tragically, the mess that sits opposite us was incapable of coming up with plans that were consistent, that made sense,” the PM said, cheered on by MPs behind him.

“They changed their position from hour to hour, coming up with furphies about radioactivity and all sorts of things that needed to be included.”

He also accused them of “ignoring” the major review of Australia’s environment laws they commissioned Professor Graeme Samuel to undertake while Opposition leader Sussan Ley was then-Environment Minister.

Mr Albanese thanked his minister Murray Watt for getting the deal across the line after 120 meetings since taking on the portfolio after their May 3 election win.

Australia’s overhauled environmental laws have returned to the House of Representatives after they were passed following Labor’s deal with the Greens in the Senate.

Speaker Milton Dick kicked off the start of an extended session on Friday to say that the Senate had reviewed and agreed to the Bill and asked the House to concur the amendments.

In moving that the amendments be agreed to, Anthony Albanese described the reforms as a “a win for business, a win for our natural environment, and a win for the country”.

“They mean more investment, more jobs, more housing and more infrastructure,” he said.

“They protect something that every Australian values and has a deep connection to; our treasured and unique natural environment.

“We know that the current laws are broken. Today, we fix them.”