Environment minister Murray Watt is up and about early – the environment laws will pass the house today. The senate has kicked them off until March with an inquiry, but as we have been reporting, that can always change. The Minerals Council has come out very strongly in the Oz as wanting the Coalition to pass the bill before Christmas, so the government doesn’t go to the Greens and the bill is done and dusted (gee, wonder who these laws benefit if the fossil fuel lobby wants it all wrapped up so quickly?!) but the Coalition is a bit of a mess these days, so who knows what the plan is beyond survival.

Here is how Watt described his position on ABC News Breakfast this morning:

Well, this is a really significant day, after five years since Graeme Samuel tabled his report with recommendations about how to fix our environment laws, the laws will pass the House of Representatives today. The other important thing about though, is that in the House of Representatives, we are going to see the Greens Party vote with Barnaby Joyce against laws that deliver very real benefits if the environment. Equally, we’re going to see the Coalition vote with the Greens to stop laws that will deliver very real benefits for business.

They’re opposing the balanced pack that Graeme Samuel recommended, that we have put forward in this bill, but notwithstanding, it’s very pleasing to see it will pass the House. I’m still very confident that we can pass these laws this year.

Obviously there’s one more sitting week to go and there is an opportunity for the Senate to consider and pass these laws in that Senate – in that last sitting week.

There will actually be three hearings of the Senate Committee which is looking into this bill in the next fortnight before we return to Parliament. I there’s going to be about 40-odd witnesses who will give evidence at those three days of hearings, so there’ll be a lot of opportunity for people to have their say.

We simply cannot keep delaying reforms which will deliver national environmental standards, higher penalties damage our environment, and which will streamline approvals for really important projects like housing and renewables.

Kay, couple of things; why are we treating Graeme Samuel like he has sent words down the mount? He’s not Dolly Parton – he is a lawyer, businessman and former ACCC chair – not an unquestionable God. And does anyone have a problem with recommendations that are five years old in this space? Two, it is possible for the Greens and Barnaby Joyce to be against the laws for two different reasons. The government’s preferred pathway here is with the Coalition and Joyce for exactly that reason.