This bill became law on Dec 14th, 2023.
Climate, energy & environment
The Clean Energy RegulatorThe federal body that already runs carbon market and reporting schemes, and this bill gives it extra duties for the nature repair market. now also has functions under the Nature Repair Act 2023The main law that sets up the nature repair market, with this bill making related changes so it can operate properly., making it one of the main agencies running Australia’s nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature..
The new Nature Repair MarketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. left gaps in the Clean Energy RegulatorThe federal body that already runs carbon market and reporting schemes, and this bill gives it extra duties for the nature repair market.’s powers, information-sharing rules and audit arrangements needed to run the scheme effectively. This bill fixes those implementation gaps by expanding the regulator’s functions and enabling protected-information sharing, auditor standards and an auditor register for the market.
Australia already had mounting evidence that biodiversity was worsening, with the 2021 State of the Environment report describing a poor overall environmental condition and continued species decline, while an earlier 2022 biodiversity stewardship market bill had already sketched a market-style approach to repair. The Albanese government responded by introducing a new voluntary nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. in 2023 and this consequential bill to give the Clean Energy RegulatorThe federal body that already runs carbon market and reporting schemes, and this bill gives it extra duties for the nature repair market., information-sharing rules and audit settings needed to run it, and the package became law in December 2023.
The main criticism was that these technical amendments still helped roll out a nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. that critics said lacked enough detail, safeguards and independent oversight, risking greenwashing or weak biodiversity outcomes. That case was raised by the Coalition, Greens and some crossbenchers, though several independents treated it as a conditional concern and were prepared to support the bill if stronger protections were added.
Hon Tanya Plibersek MP introduced this bill. It passed on the voices.
Did it become law?
Yes
Became law 14 Dec 2023
Final passage
Passed without a counted vote
Members called out ‘aye’ or ‘no’ — no individual votes were recorded.
Passage speed
260 days
From introduction to the latest recorded parliamentary step
Meaning
The Clean Energy RegulatorThe federal body that already runs carbon market and reporting schemes, and this bill gives it extra duties for the nature repair market. now also has functions under the Nature Repair Act 2023The main law that sets up the nature repair market, with this bill making related changes so it can operate properly., making it one of the main agencies running Australia’s nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature..
Protected informationSensitive information collected for the scheme that can only be shared in the specific ways allowed by the law. from nature repair work can be shared with the Biodiversity DepartmentThe department that supports the minister responsible for the nature repair law and can receive protected information for oversight and briefing. to brief the minister, check how the law is working, and help Australia meet biodiversity agreement duties.
The minister can set specific rules for registered greenhouse and energy auditors who do nature repair audits, so biodiversity audits meet proper standards.
People using the nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. will be able to check a register of approved greenhouse and energy auditors, making it easier to find qualified auditors for required audit work.
Federal water protections now cover unconventional gas projects, meaning shale and tight gas projects can also face national scrutiny when they are likely to significantly affect water resources.
(b) the Nature Repair Act 2023; andNature Repair (Consequential Amendments) Act 2023 final Act text
Item 15 would amend existing section 46 of the CER Act to insert new subsection 46(3). New subsection 46(3) would authorise an official of the Regulator to disclose protected information to the Secretary of the Biodiversity Department, or an officer of the Biodiversity Department who is authorised in writing by that Secretary, provided the disclosure is for the purpose of advising the Biodiversity Minister, monitoring the operation of a biodiversity law, evaluating the effectiveness of a biodiversity law, facilitating the monitoring of Australia’s compliance with its international obligations under an international biodiversity agreement, or facilitating the development of an international agreement that relates to biodiversity.Nature Repair (Consequential Amendments) explanatory memorandum
Item 23 would amend subsection 75(1) of the NGER Act to provide that the Minister also has the power to determine, by legislative instrument, requirements to be met by registered greenhouse and energy auditors in preparing for and carrying out biodiversity audits and in preparing biodiversity audit reports.Nature Repair (Consequential Amendments) explanatory memorandum
Item 24 would amend subsection 75A(1) of the NGER Act to the effect that the Regulator must also cause a register of greenhouse and energy auditors to be kept for the purposes of the NRM Bill. This will ensure that participants in the new voluntary biodiversity market scheme enacted by the NRM Bill will also have access to relevant and up-to-date information on registered greenhouse and energy auditors. This is appropriate as such persons may be required to engage a registered greenhouse energy auditor to carry out audits or prepare audit reports under that Bill.Nature Repair (Consequential Amendments) explanatory memorandum
unconventional gas development means any activity involving unconventional gas production that has, or is likely to have, a significant impact on water resources (including any impacts of associated salt production and/or salinity):Nature Repair (Consequential Amendments) Act 2023 final Act text
Context
Australia already had mounting evidence that biodiversity was worsening, with the 2021 State of the Environment report describing a poor overall environmental condition and continued species decline, while an earlier 2022 biodiversity stewardship market bill had already sketched a market-style approach to repair. The Albanese government responded by introducing a new voluntary nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. in 2023 and this consequential bill to give the Clean Energy RegulatorThe federal body that already runs carbon market and reporting schemes, and this bill gives it extra duties for the nature repair market., information-sharing rules and audit settings needed to run it, and the package became law in December 2023.
State of the Environment report underscores biodiversity decline
Speakers on the bill said the 2021 State of the Environment report, released in 2022, showed Australia’s environment was in poor condition and highlighted continuing extinction and habitat pressures.
Hansard ↗Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Market Bill 2022 puts a market model on the agenda
During the 2023 debate, MPs said the earlier 2022 bill had already developed the idea of a biodiversity stewardship market and provided part of the policy base for the new legislation.
Hansard ↗Government introduces the bills for a national nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature.
The minister said the new market would support private investment in projects that protect or restore biodiversity, with the consequential bill giving the Clean Energy RegulatorThe federal body that already runs carbon market and reporting schemes, and this bill gives it extra duties for the nature repair market. the supporting powers and systems needed to administer it.
Hansard ↗Parliament passes the bill
After Senate amendmentsChanges made by the Senate to the bill before the House agreed to the final form. were agreed to by the House, both chambers settled the bill in the same form so the operating rules for the new market could proceed.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Royal Assent turns the bill into law
Royal Assent completed the package, allowing the consequential amendments to support the commencement and administration of the Nature Repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. framework.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Referred to Committee (30/03/2023): Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee; Committee report (04/12/2023)
Referred to committee
APH bill page notesThe bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber. Later message exchanges with the other chamber were still recorded afterwards.
Third reading agreed to
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
The chamber considered amendments before the bill moved to the next stage.
Committee of the Whole debate
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
The House dealt with Senate amendmentsChanges made by the Senate to the bill before the House agreed to the final form. or requests so both chambers could settle the bill in the same form. The main amendments were: The introduced and as-passed bill texts differ in 37 observed text blocks, including title wording, committee naming, and water-trigger provisions.
Consideration of Senate message
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Finally passed both Houses
The Governor-General gave Royal Assent, turning the bill into an Act.
Key criticism
The main criticism was that these technical amendments still helped roll out a nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. that critics said lacked enough detail, safeguards and independent oversight, risking greenwashing or weak biodiversity outcomes. That case was raised by the Coalition, Greens and some crossbenchers, though several independents treated it as a conditional concern and were prepared to support the bill if stronger protections were added.
Most criticism targeted the broader nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. framework more than these consequential amendments alone.
Too few safeguards and too much missing detail
Critics argued the bill should not help establish the market until the rules, enforcement arrangements and governance settings were clearer, warning that weak drafting now could lock in a scheme the government had not fully explained.
Risk of greenwashing or backdoor offsets
Opponents warned the market could let companies buy certificates while continuing environmental damage, or drift into an offsets-style system unless tighter limits and stronger national standards were put in place.
Possible harm to farmers and regional land use
Nationals and some Coalition critics said the scheme could lock up productive farmland for long periods, encourage land grabs or offset-driven land use changes, and hurt regional communities if protections were not tightened.
Further sources
Votes
The bill passed both chambers on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage.
House agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Senate agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Amendments grouped by chamber. Where APH reports aggregate counts, the package card summarizes the matching public amendment sheets by source theme.
House
The House agreed to the amendments made by the Senate, so the bill could pass both chambers in the same form.
Carried on voices
The chamber decided this amendment without a counted division, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes.
Senate
This amendment would change the bill title wording by omitting the word "Market" wherever it appears.
This amendment would change the bill title wording by omitting the word "Market" wherever it appears.
Passed on the voices
The chamber agreed to this amendment without a counted vote — the presiding officer judged the ayes louder than the noes, and no member called for a division.
Government amendments tighten the bill by renaming coal seam gas provisions as unconventional gas development and clarifying commencement timing so the new schedule starts only after Royal Assent and the Nature Repair Market Act begins.
Passed on the voices
The chamber agreed to this amendment package without a counted vote. APH records the agreed count by amendment, while the source documents are grouped into amendment sheets.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Plibersek supports the bill as a set of minor technical changes needed to make the nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. work properly.
Read in Hansard ↗Canavan says he will not support the bill because he считает these offset-style schemes are artificial, corrupt and bad for the environment and the economy.
Read in Hansard ↗Andrew Gee supports the bill, saying it gives farmers and landholders a tangible benefit for protecting biodiversity and helps the nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. work in practice.
Read in Hansard ↗Tink backs the nature repair package in principle, but says it should be delayed and strengthened so broader environmental reforms are in place first, including enforceable standards and a new EPA.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
45 speakers · 50 contributions · 42 support · 3 unclear
“I'm very glad to speak in support of the Nature Repair Market Bill and the Nature Repair Market (Consequential Amendments) Bill. They deliver a key feature of the Albanese government's commitment to take a very different approach to Australia's environmental condition and biodiversity.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“In conclusion, the establishment of the Nature Repair Market is a transformative step towards a nature-positive future. It aligns with our international commitments, generates investment and job opportunities, and creates new income streams for landholders, including Aboriginal people, Torres Strait Islanders and farmers. It represents a clear break from the neglect and environmental degradation of the past. I urge all members of this House to support this crucial legislation. Let us stand together to repair and protect our precious natural environment for the sake of future generations. I commend this bill of the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 and the Nature Repair Market (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023 add to the work our government is doing in so many areas to repair the environment. Once established, the nature repair market will be a world-leading voluntary market framework to support landholders in protecting and restoring nature.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I rise to join my colleagues in support of the Nature Repair Market Bill 2023, along with the Nature Repair Market (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023. This is an important piece of environmental legislation.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This bill is a key part of delivering on the government's positive nature repair plan, with the establishment of a nature repair market. Why? It will make it easier for people to invest in activities that actually help to reverse that decline and repair nature.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I'm so optimistic about this legislation. I fully support it and I commend it to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I commend this bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“At its core, this bill is pretty simple. The Albanese Labor government is making it easier for people to invest in activities that help repair nature. We on this side want to leave nature better off for our kids and grandkids. That's why we're delivering legislation that supports landholders, including farmers, First Nations communities and community groups do to things like plant native species, repair damaged riverbeds or remove invasive species. This bill will establish a new market for investing in nature-positive outcomes. It creates the nature repair market with proper integrity and transparency, giving business and philanthropists a way to invest in nature with confidence. The market will make it easier for businesses, organisations, governments and individuals to invest in projects to protect and repair nature.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“We are systematically leaving a legacy of raising environmental standards, of putting a greater value on our environment and protecting it for generations to come.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This bill is a critical part of that plan to deliver.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“With this, I commend the bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“We, who are the custodians of fragile, unique habitats, have an obligation to do what we can to protect them. So let's hope that this legislation has a smooth passage and that the Albanese government can show a better way, not facilitating the destruction of habitat the way that Hawkesbury Council has but preserving it, improving it, and helping native animals to arrive.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“With these commitments, as with the nature repair market that will be created if this bill passes, and I hope it does, our government is showing that it has a clear, nature-positive plan and that it is getting on with the job of delivering it.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“That's why I think this bill is so important. If we don't have a well-designed market in the context of the environment, we're not going to achieve the ultimate goals—the biodiversity goals and the nature repair goals which we're seeking. That's why this bill is such an important step forward.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 provides a framework for a voluntary national market that delivers on improved biodiversity outcomes. Eligible landholders who undertake projects that enhance or protect our nature and its biodiversity can receive a tradable certificate tracked through a national register. This bill will also enable the Clean Energy Regulator, an independent statutory authority, to issue Australian landholders with these tradable biodiversity certificates.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This bill will reward those who are doing the right thing by nature. I know that groups in my electorate are really keen to see this bill passed and the scheme established. Whether it's the biolinks, which will be able to help to co-ordinate the work, First Nations people, building on the work they're already doing, or the many farmers who are already trying to do this work and tapping into the expanded program, the Nature Repair Market Bill will help incentivise that work and ensure it continues.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I was pleased to be part of a government that voted for significant climate action in this parliament last year, and I'm pleased now to be standing up on the Nature Repair Market Bill 2023, a bill that will make a tangible difference to communities across the country, allowing farmers and First Nations peoples to carry out environmental remediation, allowing corporations to be part of the acquitted positive environmental impact and allowing philanthropists to step up to the plate with the confidence that, if they're paying for environmental repair, that environmental repair will be delivered.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“If this bill unlocks even a fraction of the estimated $137 billion in potential finance available for investment in conservation between now and 2050, then it will have had a truly transformational impact on our nation by helping ranger programs, farmers and landholders to maintain our incredible and unique biodiverse Australian land.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“We also have funds towards conserving threatened species and ecosystems. There's another $118.5 million to help community groups, NGOs, local governments and First Nations groups carry out projects to clean up and restore local urban rivers and waterways. These projects include activities like planting native species along creeks and building small-scale wetlands to filter pollution and improve water quality. We're investing $7.7 million to support landholders to carry out activities to repair nature, by establishing a world-leading nature repair market. That's the subject of today's bill. That's what I seek support for from everybody in this House. We want to be a country that stops environmental decline and does the heavy lifting of repairing our nature now.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“We know that our environment has been deteriorating rapidly. There was a report that was received after the report showing that one of the foundational elements of this was an offset system that lacked integrity. We need to have that integrity, and I know that ASIC will be oversighting this, ensuring that greenwashing doesn't happen and that companies or people getting these credits are not just getting them without actual improvement in the environment. I commend this bill to the House. It's very important. I assure you that I will be supporting it, and I hope everyone else will also be supporting it, because it is our absolute obligation to the next generation of Australians.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This is what this bill does. This bill recognises biodiversity as an asset for our community, an asset for our society and, indeed, an asset now for our economy. It now creates the conditions for investment in environmental biodiversity.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The Nature Repair Market (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023 would make minor amendments to the Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011 and the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 to facilitate the establishment, operation and regulation of the nature repair market.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This bill also creates a new market for investing in nature-positive outcomes. It will support our commitment to repair ecosystems and reverse species decline and extinction. It also creates more investment and employment opportunities for a nature-positive economy. This will be a world-first scheme.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“That's why this bill is so important, and I commend the minister for bringing it forward. We must work to improve the environment and to ensure that threatened species in my electorate and across the country are protected.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This bill will help establish markets to provide a mechanism to do that. The Nature Repair Market Bill is a way for the Albanese Labor government to deliver on its plan through establishment of this market.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Louise Miller-Frost on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Second reading speech
Miller-Frost supports the bill as part of Labor's nature-positive agenda, saying it will improve environmental outcomes while attracting investment and creating jobs. She argues the scheme will help repair nature, give communities and First Nations people more opportunities, and provide strong integrity and transparency.
“In conclusion, this bill will not only benefit the environment; it will benefit all of those who have a relationship with the environment. This bill is designed to leave nature better off for our kids and grandkids. The Albanese Labor government knows what it means to be nature positive. Let's help Australians achieve this too.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
Miller-Frost strongly supports the bill and urges the House to back it because she sees it as a practical way to channel private money into nature restoration and biodiversity protection. She says it gives investors and landholders a regulated framework for conservation projects and forms part of the government’s broader environmental reform agenda.
“That's what this bill does: it builds a bridge between environmental goodwill and positive environmental outcomes. It is the means by which investors can invest in these positive outcomes without owning a plot of land directly and without having to enter into costly contractual arrangements. It allows investors to put their money behind projects that have the confidence of regulators. This leads me to the other important part of this bill: it will introduce the oversight and regulation necessary for this market to function. This is particularly important given the lessons of the Chubb review. I want to commend the bill to the House because I think it's important that we all get behind protecting and restoring our environment.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
“Overall, this bill will establish a new market for investing in nature-positive outcomes and environment-positive outcomes. It will support Australia's international commitments to protect and repair ecosystems and reverse species decline and extinction. I am very fond of our local species, particularly our koalas. I have encouraged a proposal to make a Twin Rivers national park in the Macarthur area, connecting up the Georges and Nepean rivers in a koala protection area, that will connect up with the Dharug National Park, which has very important Indigenous heritage and Indigenous artefacts in the park. I really would like that to be preserved as a further extension of our local national parks. All of this will happen only with commitment from all forms of government, local, state and federal. I am very proud to be part of an Albanese Labor government that is supporting this environmental plan for our future, our children’s future and the generations that follow in the future. I commend the bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I want to commend the member for Sydney for the work she has done in broadening the scope of her deliberations, in broadening the scope of the public hearings and consultation that has occurred, and in landing for us a bill that will see the development of a nature repair market and the regulations set around that to ensure we get this investment right. This bill will ensure we attract private investment and make it easier for businesses and philanthropists to invest in efforts of nature repair. This bill supports landholders including farmers and First Nations communities to do things like plant native species, repair damaged riverbeds and remove invasive species. These are incredibly important things.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I rise to speak in strong support of the Nature Repair Market Bill 2023. It is an important bill that enables the protection and restoration of our valuable natural assets.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“It's why I'm really pleased about this government's Nature Positive Plan and the establishment of the Nature Repair Market. If anybody embodies the saying 'hit the ground running', it has to be the Minister for the Environment and Water, who hasn't wasted a minute getting on with the job of saying: 'What legislative measures do we need? What oversight measures do we need? What role can we play in the international community to not just protect what we have left but try to restore some of what we've lost?'”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“Today, the koala is endangered, along with many other native species across our nation. With over 500 of our iconic wildlife species at risk of being erased forever, it is time to act. That's why I rise with much passion to support the Nature Repair Market Bill 2023.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“So you see, the Labor government is absolutely committed to making sure that our environment is protected, not only for the wonderful burghers of my electorate in Cooper, who, as I mentioned, care so much about these issues but for my grandchildren, for their children and for future generations to come, and for our First Nations people as well to make sure that we respect the land as they have done for 60,000-odd years. This is an incredibly important bill. It's one that we must support. It's one that we cannot let slip by. It is there for the future of all to enjoy this country.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“That is part of the way forward here. I stress that it's not the only measure that the government is undertaking. Minister Plibersek, as Minister for the Environment and Water, and the other ministers in the government who are engaged in this work, will continue to outline and deliver areas of reform. I look forward to the amendments and to working across the chamber to make sure that this piece of legislation is passed. I hope that we will continue to watch its progress closely and make sure it delivers in the national interest in the way that it should.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This bill will establish a new market for investing in nature-positive outcomes. It will support Australia's international commitments to protect and repair ecosystems and reverse species decline and extinction—long overdue. It will generate investment and job opportunities for a nature-positive economy and create new income streams for landholders, including First Nations peoples and farmers, and I commend the legislation to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“We want to incentivise the restoration of nature by mobilising private investment. The demand is there and we're now providing the framework to enable those green shoots to emerge and grow. I commend the bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Tanya Plibersek on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Minister's second reading speech
Plibersek supports the bill as a set of minor technical changes needed to make the nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. work properly. She says it will improve the Clean Energy RegulatorThe federal body that already runs carbon market and reporting schemes, and this bill gives it extra duties for the nature repair market.'s functions, transparency and audit arrangements so the scheme can operate with efficiency and integrity.
“This bill makes minor, technical amendments to two acts relevant to the functions of the Clean Energy Regulator. These are the Clean Energy Regulator Act and the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
Plibersek supports the bill and urges the House to pass it, saying it will create the framework needed for a high-integrity nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. and unlock private and philanthropic investment in restoring habitats and protecting biodiversity. She says it is an important step now because the detailed rules and regulator systems need time to be built.
“I specifically thank the members for Curtin, Goldstein, North Sydney, Clark, Warringah, Wentworth and Calare for their very active engagement on the Nature Repair Market Bill, for their proposed amendments and, I hope, for their support for this important bill. I thank all members for their contributions and I commend the bill to the House.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
“I also rise in support of the nature Repair Market Consequential Amendments Bill 2023, and I want to acknowledge the work of the minister, who is present with us in the chamber, the Minister for the Environment and Water, for her excellent work in this portfolio.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I rise to make my contribution to the Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 and the Nature Repair Market (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023. This bill will deliver on the Albanese government's commitment not just to halt the decline of Australia's environment but to turn it around and to begin the complex and difficult job of repairing our natural environment.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Tony Zappia on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Second reading speech
Zappia supports the bill and says Labor has got the nature repair package about right, even after hearing criticism from the coalition and the Greens.
“The Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 is another demonstration of the Albanese Labor government's commitment to the environment. I've listened to much of the debate from the members who have already spoken. Having heard the criticisms of it from some members of the coalition and some of the Greens gives me the view that we, the Labor side, have got this bill about right.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
Tony Zappia supports the bill and says it is a worthwhile step toward biodiversity repair because it rewards practical environmental action and should be passed quickly. He accepts it is not the only solution and will need later fixes, but argues there is no good reason to delay it.
“There is no good reason for delaying this legislation. On the contrary, the sooner it is passed the sooner we can get on with the task of biodiversity repair. I'm pleased to see that so many other countries and so many community groups are now on board with not only this type of program but doing something about restoring our environmental losses.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
“The Nature Repair Market Bill represents another important, pivotal moment for our environment. This is, despite what those opposite will have you believe, what the bill will do. The Nature Repair Market Bill, together with the Nature Repair Market (Consequential Amendments) Bill, aims to establish a world-first nature repair market. The bills provide the legislative framework for a voluntary national market in biodiversity certificates to enable private investment in high-integrity projects to protect, manage, and restore nature.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“We understand that concerns have been raised during the consultation process. Some stakeholders have expressed cautious optimism, recognising the urgent need for increased investment in biodiversity protection. Others have voiced different kinds of apprehension. These concerns are valid, and we must address them thoughtfully and thoroughly, but it is very important that we allow this urgent bill to pass through this House to ensure that our environment is protected and that we are able to start shaking off all of those bad things that have led us to be named the extinction capital of the world, which is a pretty shameful mantle for this nation to bear. The Nature Repair Market Bill is a significant step forward, and we have the opportunity to shape and refine it as we move forward.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“That is what this bill before us seeks to do. It would introduce a world-leading voluntary market framework to support landholders in protecting and restoring nature.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Matt Thistlethwaite on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Second reading speech
Thistlethwaite supports the bill and says it will create a transparent, well-regulated nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. that lets businesses and landholders invest in genuine biodiversity projects. He backs it because it strengthens oversight, consultation and public trust while helping repair ecosystems and support First Nations knowledge.
“By establishing an integral and transparent nature repair market, we will ensure that businesses and philanthropists can confidently invest in nature into the future. They will have the ability to purchase quality, well-regulated nature repair certificates and ensure that their investments in protection and restoration yield significant yet lasting environmental benefits. I commend this bill to the House.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
Thistlethwaite supports the bill, saying it will give the nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. legal integrity, attract investment and create opportunities for landholders, regional Australia and First Nations people. He backs the reform as a way for government, business and communities to work together to restore Australia's environment.
“By legislating the market, we'll secure its ongoing integrity, stimulate investment in nature and inspire environmental enhancements across Australia. The Clean Energy Regulator, an independent statutory authority seasoned in handling such environmental tasks, will issue tradeable biodiversity certificates to Australian landholders, and these certificates can then find their way to businesses, organisations, governments and individuals.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
“This bill for a nature repair market seeks to allow more people to engage positively with nature through the economy, by making the repair of nature more visibly and actively an economic good. It encourages those who already do this work to do more and to receive benefit, and it encourages more people, businesses, not-for-profits, associations, councils, Indigenous organisations and companies to engage. I have heard the usual wobblies from some members opposite, that the scheme will somehow be compulsory. It isn't. I've heard that it will eat up valuable farmland. It won't. Members need to catch up.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Dan Repacholi on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Second reading speech
Repacholi supports the bill, saying it is another step in repairing the environment and creating a nature repair marketThe new voluntary market where approved projects can earn tradable biodiversity certificates for protecting or restoring nature. that can back conservation, jobs and long-term investment. He argues it is needed to restore nature, deliver transparent and integrity-based certification, and help meet Australia's environmental commitments.
“We are blessed in this country, and in the Hunter specifically, with our natural environment, and at no time should we stop advancing as a country or as humans, but, as we do so, we have a responsibility to make sure we look after the environment. We need to do this for ourselves, and we must do this for our generations to come. This bill is another step in this journey, and I commend this bill to the House.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
Repacholi supports the Nature Repair (Consequential Amendments) Bill as part of Labor's plan to make it easier to invest in repairing nature. He says it will help landholders, First Nations communities, businesses and philanthropists take practical steps to restore damaged ecosystems.
“I rise to speak on the Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 and the Nature Repair Market (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023. The Hunter electorate is lucky to be filled with beautiful nature. We have dense bush and native plants and animals, including rare native birds, and we have the largest saltwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere. As a father of two young girls, I want to make sure that we leave our land and nature, as a whole, better off for them and for their children. To achieve this, nature needs to be looked after, and, where it is damaged, we must try and repair it. This is why this government is making it easier for people to invest in activities that help repair nature.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
15 speakers · 14 oppose · 1 unclear
“The concerns of the stakeholders were many and varied. The most common theme threaded through all of these submissions by people from the environmental movement, the ENGOs through to the business community, was in fact that we should be dealing with the reforms to the EPBC Act, the national environmental approvals legislation, which has been reviewed by former director of the ACCC Professor Graeme Samuel. Deal with that first. Get the overarching framework legislation in place before we progress to dealing with all of the other bits of legislation. That was a view shared by the Australian Greens and many of the other members of the Senate crossbench. It's something that the government completely ignored, so here we are today rushing this through.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I do have great concerns with the legislation before the House, notwithstanding the fact that I do see some benefits for farmers, in particular, if they can be paid to be part of the biodiversity and conservation challenge. I do see some benefits, indeed, but the bill before the House raises more questions for me than answers. And I'm unconvinced that this government, taking orders from the Greens, is properly placed to make the right decisions.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“With this bill, there was also substantive change in the whole nature of tenure, which is so important. What we believe in on this side of the chamber is the primacy of private ownership. If you lose that, you lose your security, because it means that you don't really own title.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“There's an old saying, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it,' yet this Nature Repair Market Bill tinkers with a pilot program that the coalition put forward in its Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Market Bill. This repair attempt has created a mess. For those reasons, at this stage, the coalition cannot support this bill. Former agriculture minister and Nationals leader David Littleproud introduced the agriculture focused bill in February 2022, but it lapsed due to an election and a change of government.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“So this legislation, the Nature Repair Market Bill, is, like most things with Labor, a doozy. It's ill-named. You've got to read the detail before you think, 'Well, is this worth supporting?' As with everything that this government brings forward, it's probably not, because the devil is in the detail. We want to have the best soils—and the member for Paterson and I are co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Soil—and we want the best outcomes, but they have to be practical. Locking up land and leaving it isn't doing the trick.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I'm opposed to this bill. I'm sorry that I have to be, because in its original form, as put up by the last government, it would have been a positive one. Now I'm afraid to say it is potentially dangerous in the longer term for this country, and I no longer will support it.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“It's for these reasons that I oppose the bill.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“If we are really going to get serious about repairing nature, let's control all our feral pests and animals; let's abandon this reckless destruction of sensitive agriculture and horticultural landscapes with the 28,000 kilometres of poles and wires that aren't necessary. We could just be using our existing grid if we replaced our coal plants with clean nuclear power reactors, which have a very low environmental footprint. So, buyer beware! If I was an owner of land, I wouldn't be signing up for this. A lot of people I know who have had vast tracts of land that have been hard to work but have been very productive see this as money for jam. But once it's there, everyone will be feeding off it. You will be encumbered and that property will be encumbered for up to 100 years. It's voluntary at the moment, but the gods of environmentalism that deem these things the solution to a problem will be urging them to become mandatory.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I believe this bill has enormous potential to have a negative impact on farmers, landholders and our natural environment. Ultimately, all Australians will pay. All Australians will be worse off if this bill goes through. We need to support our farmers. They provide the food and fibre for all of us. If we don't have food and we don't have energy—because, clearly, the Albanese Labor government's energy policy isn't working—then we could be subject to a takeover. Let's get behind our farmers. Let's support them. Let's vote this bill down. I strongly oppose this bill.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I understand, and I take Senator Grogan's point, that the NFF has made some welcoming noises about the bill and about the intention of the bill. As I said, from the outset we supported the intention of the bill, but in the way this bill is drafted it has far too many red flags, far too many concerns and certainly not enough clarity about how it actually will be implemented, how it will operate and how robust the assessment and accreditation scheme will be.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I rise tonight as the Leader of the Nationals to advise the House that we're unable to support the Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 and the associated legislation. This bill has diverged far too far from our biodiversity bill, which was introduced in this parliament in February last year. There are significant differences in this bill. Disappointingly, this government has let their ideology take away the practical reality and the safeguards that are required for Australian agriculture and farming families in regional communities.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“The opposition will reserve its final position on these bills until we see and hear what emerges from that committee process, but as things currently stand we have sufficient doubts about the veracity and quality of this legislation to not vote in support of it.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I know the time is coming to an end, so, in conclusion, I say to those opposite, as I said at the outset: this bill is about growing koalas, not cattle. This bill is about producing possums instead of protein. We all want to protect the environment, but we have to protect the Australian people first.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“In closing, I think anyone closely following this debate will not be surprised to see the coalition reserve our final position on these bills until after the Senate committee process concludes. It may also be that we seek to encourage the government to make changes to the bills or that we seek to make some amendments of our own when the bills reach the Senate. In principle, at this point, and in keeping with all the work we have previously done in this area, the coalition cannot support the passage of either of these bills. There are too many gaps. There is too much missing detail. Accordingly, there are too many concerns from a number of key stakeholders for the bills to receive our endorsement.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
3 speakers · 3 oppose
“This bill, that attempts to allow developers and others to make some money out of some offsets, that allows the destruction of the environment to continue, does not put in place the protections that are needed.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“In another sign of a government very beholden to private corporations, this bill actually privatises environmental protection, thereby ensuring that it will absolutely fail.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“It is nonsensical to introduce this Nature Repair Market Bill before these sorely needed reforms. This is policymaking on the run, and it should be condemned. This bill is so rushed that it proposes the Clean Energy Regulator will have to approve the unique biodiversity certificates. This will require the regulator to assess environmental projects, something completely outside of their original remit.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
11 speakers · 12 contributions · 2 support · 2 oppose · 7 mixed
“It's for these reasons that I not only support the second reading amendments moved by the members for Wentworth and Goldstein but also will be moving a number of proposed amendments during the consideration in detail debate to encourage the government to expedite broader reforms onto the same trajectory. The market should not be operational until (1) the new offsets national environmental standard is legally enforceable; and (2) the new Environment Protection Agency is legally established.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“In conclusion, the idea of creating a voluntary market to repair nature is a small but useful part of the government response. It will need to tie in with the very important EPBC Act and be guided by clear national standards. Getting it to work effectively will require clear objectives and carefully drafted regulation, guided by experts, and may also require investment from government to kick-start the market.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I rise to speak on the Nature Repair Market Bill and the related bill. I welcome these bills, which represent a step towards achieving a nature-positive Australia. I also acknowledge the government's professed commitment to protecting 30 per cent of Australia's land and seas by 2030. However, I call on the government to be bolder and to state clearly and definitively that it is committed to achieving a nature-positive Australia at a minimum by 2030. To this end, there are more actions that need to be taken. For example, we must, without delay, stop all native forest logging, and we must protect rainforests, particularly in incredible areas like the Tarkine in Tasmania. These must be protected. We can't talk about biodiversity loss and conservation and continue to ransack pristine and important ecosystems and environment. It's my hope that this bill is a step towards that and that we're going to do better.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I support this bill but I also hear concerns from local and national environmental groups, including the Environmental Defenders Office and the Landcare groups in my electorate. I hear concerns about whether the new nature repair market will be used to offset biodiversity loss from proposed developments and projects.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I support the goals of the Nature Positive Plan, and I support the government's pursuit of getting us on track to protect and restore Australia's environment. I believe that these modest amendments will go some way to improve the shortcomings of the carbon market and the government's functions of the nature repair market.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“It is clear that we need vastly increased investment in nature if we are to protect and preserve our natural environment. It is also clear that we need to try new and innovative ways of achieving this, because the status quo is just not working. I'm not opposed to the idea of this market in principle, but there are improvements that should be made to this bill. Even more importantly, before we experiment with trading in this market, we must legislate reforms to the EPBC and put an end to native forest logging.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by David Pocock on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Second reading speech
Pocock is conditionally supportive of the bill, but says it needs stronger safeguards, government investment, and clearer First Nations and integrity provisions before it can work properly. He will move a second reading amendment with changes on those points and says the current design risks relying on a market that may not deliver enough demand or genuine biodiversity gains.
“I'll be moving a second reading amendment highlighting some of my recommendations for actions to get better outcomes from this bill. These include creating a government investment strategy, which is something that came up a lot in the roundtables I held on this bill when it was in front of, I think, the first Senate committee that looked at it.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
Pocock supports the bill, but says it should be tied to a biodiversity investment strategy, the nature-related financial disclosure recommendations, and a review of the market's governance. His position is conditional on the government strengthening how the new nature repair system will be backed and overseen.
“At the end of the motion, add ", but the Senate notes that to achieve the aims of the bill in enhancing and protecting biodiversity, the Government must:”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
“It's time for Australia to lead the way out of the climate crisis. We can't approve a scheme that, rather than creating a nature positive market, could have the perverse effect of increasing nature destruction. It's time to stop kicking this can down the road. This bill in its current form is undercooked and underwhelming, and it is very difficult to commend it to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“Environmental organisations fear that biodiversity and climate outcomes might actually be worse if this bill is passed as it is.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“We live in an incredible country, and I want it to be just as incredible for the many generations to come. That is why I'm supporting this bill and supporting its objective to give farmers and landholders a tangible benefit for protecting or enhancing the biodiversity make-up of their land. I commend the National Party and the opposition for developing the key components of this bill. It is great work. I hope they can swing in behind it. And I think the minister's office for their engagement in this important legislation. I commend the bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This is about choice for farmers, and it is about monetisation, which I think is really important and certainly due. I'm sure there will be many others like Richard, and the environment will be a beneficiary. So I support this bill.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
House · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Senate · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Senate · Committee of the whole: amendments considered
Amendment packages agreed
The chamber considered amendments before the bill moved to the next stage.
Senate · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
House · Consideration of Senate message
House agreed to Senate amendmentsChanges made by the Senate to the bill before the House agreed to the final form.
The House dealt with Senate amendmentsChanges made by the Senate to the bill before the House agreed to the final form. or requests so both chambers could settle the bill in the same form.
Parliament · Finally passed both Houses
Passed both houses
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Assent · Assent
Assent
The Governor-General gave Royal Assent, turning the bill into an Act.
Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee; Committee report (04/12/2023)
Referred to committee
Referred to Committee (30 Mar 2023): Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee; Committee report (4 Dec 2023)
APH bill page notes
