Democrats dirty deal on environment

The Democrats last week assisted the Government to guillotine debate and 
pass the regressive environment legislation that hands Commonwealth power 
over the environment to the States. Their collaboration with the Coalition 
Government also opens the way for the Regional Forest Agreements Bill, 
which entrenches woodchipping of old growth for the next 20 years, to be 
passed by June 30.

Dee Margetts, Greens Senator for Western Australia, said she has never 
before seen a Bill pushed through with so little debate as the environment 
legislation.

"The Democrats' agreement to guillotine debate on both the environment and 
tax legislation is a convenient way to avoid proper scrutiny of both 
pathetic deals", she said.

Senator Margetts described the passage of the legislation as "a farce" with 
discussion of amendments at first not being allowed and then, after 
pressure from the ALP, only 10 seconds was allowed for each amendment — 
which is no time at all to properly consider over 900 amendments.

As a result, important amendments to include in the Bill things like 
controls on Greenhouse emissions, clearing of native vegetation, and a 
strict approval process for nuclear programs, were simply ignored and 
defeated.

The dirty deals struck between the Government and the Democrats, on the GST 
and now two major environmental Bills, enable the Government to pass the 
legislation in the Senate before the new Senators, elected in the Federal 
Election last year, take up their seats on July 1.

There is absolutely no reason why the Democrats would need to pass these 
Bills before that date; in fact it would be far more democratic to have the 
new Senate consider the Bills rather than the old one.

The Democrats, in striking these deals, have actively endeavoured to pass 
some of the Government's most regressive legislation; legislation that is 
for the interests of big business, not ordinary working people or even 
small business.

If they had not struck their deals, it is likely that the GST and 
environment Bills would have been defeated.

"The Democrats will have to defend any bad things that come out of the Bill 
in the future", Dee Margetts told The Guardian.

The "bad things" that the Democrats would have to defend would be State 
Governments using their new powers to approve acts of environmental 
destruction, including in World Heritage listed areas.

Through their dirty deals, the Democrats have aligned themselves with the 
Liberal Party.

The hoped for opportunities with a Green-Democrat-ALP majority in the 
Senate after July 1 are now in doubt.

The anger in the Left against these Bills is now directed at the Democrats. 
They have isolated themselves, created uncertainty among their constituency 
and fostered inner-party divisions.

In defending their deals Democrat leader Meg Lees has widened the rift 
between them and The Greens, and fallen further into the arms of the 
Liberal Party.

In a press release on the day the Bills were rammed through the Senate, 
Democrat Senator Lyn Allison had the gall to the challenge The Greens' 
commitment to the environment by saying they prefer "delivering soap-box 
speeches" whereas the Democrats "are actually getting things [done]".

The same press release contained more accusations and insults. It spoke of 
the "hypocrisy" and "self-aggrandisement" of "the ALP and the Greens". It 
said the Democrats have "evolved" to work with the Government, while the 
others have made themselves "irrelevant".

Dee Margetts, in response, told The Guardian that she would rather 
be considered "irrelevant" than to be so politically naive as to have made 
these deals with the Government.