Opposition says Garrett should be sacked over LNG delays
The Opposition has called for the sacking of Peter Garrett, Minister for Environment Protection, over restraints that will delay Queensland's coal gas projects.
The Australian government has asked BG and Santos to change the environmental effect statements for coal projects worth billions of dollars at Gladstone, and Queensland's Curtis Island.
Greg Hunt spokesman for climate change and environment of the Oppositions claimed that Minister Garret was stuck in "catastrophes".
"We've seen almost every day, whether it's pink batts, green loans, the solar debacle, and now the coal seam gas bungle - another example of chaos from Peter Garrett," Mr. Hunt said in a conference on the Gold Coast.
"Julia Gillard must commit - if she won't sack Peter Garrett today - she must commit that she will not have him in the cabinet after the election."
Mr. Garrett is set to take another three months to assess the environmental effects of the BG and Santos gas projects.
The held-up will give more time to the mining firms to alter their environmental effects statements and answer the defects identified in the report by the Coordinator General of Queensland.
Mr. Hunt stated that Mr. Garrett messed up in the environmental protection process for the gas projects, which is focused on plans to transform coal seam gas from the Surat Basin in Queensland into liquefied natural gas and export the product via Gladstone.
"The real question is why has Mr Garrett taken so long to put these requirements in place," Mr Hunt commented.
"We have seen delays in the project, an absence of the protection of the environment.
"Mr Garrett must make a statement today why he has delayed, and taken so long to get these assessments done."
Mr. Garrett asserted that the Opposition is in favor of the projects' pushing through, but with the appropriate environmental checks in place.
"This should have been done months and months ago, the real impact is delaying jobs, delaying protecting the environment and uncertainty for investors and small business people in central Queensland who hope to get the flow-on jobs," he remarked.