Labor pledges to pass long-awaited nature laws this week as Greens demand more concessions | Australian politics

Years of debate over environmental law reform boiled down to a tense standoff in the federal parliament’s final sitting week of the year, with Labor saying it could strike a deal that would be passed by the Senate by Thursday.

The government continues to push for its major changes, although it has not yet reached an agreement with either the Greens or the Coalition.

The Greens appear to be moving closer to an agreement on updating the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, with the Coalition still refusing to support the changes. But the Minerals Council has joined other major business groups in urging the Liberals and Nationals to support the changes, with Environment Minister Murray Watt pledging to strike a deal with whoever comes to the table first.

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“We will adopt these reforms this week with the coalition and the Greens willing to work with us to deliver this balanced package,” Watt said on Sunday.

Green and Labor sources said they expected the two parties to reach an agreement later in the week, before Parliament adjourns on Thursday afternoon, but Greens environment spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young wanted more limits on fossil fuel development before signing.

“We also want to make sure that coal and fossil gas projects don’t accelerate,” she told the ABC’s Insiders.

“I think it’s crazy in 2025, you’re talking about a new set of environmental laws and it doesn’t even take into account climate pollution from a coal or gas mine?”

Despite 1,500 pages of environmental law reform still being examined by a Senate committee, due to report in March 2026, the government says it wants to push the bill through Parliament by the end of the year because it would improve approvals and buy time for major parts of its program, including housing construction, critical mining sites and green energy projects.

But the Greens and the Coalition say they are unconvinced of the urgency of the bill. While not ruling out a deal later in the week, Greens sources said they saw no need to rush, noting the ongoing Senate inquiry and their concerns that the bill could help speed up approval of coal and gas projects.

Labor, in turn, is putting pressure on the Greens. Watt held a press conference on Sunday in the Brisbane electorate of Ryan, the last seat held by the Greens in the country after the party lost three seats in the May election.

“We saw in the last federal election that the Greens party paid a very high political price for being seen by the Australian people as blocking progress on important issues like housing and environment law reform,” Watt said.

“There is a real opportunity for the Greens this week to demonstrate that they have heard the message from the Australian people, that they are not going to continue to block progress, that they are not going to make the perfect the enemy of the good.”

Liberal finance spokesman James Paterson said on Sunday: “As things stand we certainly cannot support the bill.”

He claimed the laws were “deficient” and the opposition would stick to its previous demands, daring the government to “make a deal with the Greens and they will suffer the consequences”.

Watt offered concessions to the demands of the Greens and the Coalition.

To the Coalition, Watt conceded amendments to tighten rules around the powers of the National Environmental Protection Agency, while for the Greens, Labor proposed limits to the “national interest” test used to approve fossil fuel projects.

On Sunday, Watt extended another olive branch to the Greens, proposing to force indigenous forestry projects to comply with national environmental standards within three years. But Hanson-Young wanted more support, saying a phased implementation over three years was not fast enough.

“It’s 2025 and it’s time to end native logging,” she said.

Business groups like the Business Council of Australia have urged the Coalition to support the EPBC changes. Minerals Council CEO Tania Constable added her voice on Sunday, calling for “reasonable compromise from both parties”.

“This will enable our industry to generate investment, jobs and regional benefits more quickly,” she said.