The Turnbull government's bid to wind back protections in sensitive marine areas has been won after the Senate voted down a bid by Labor and the Greens to block the changes.
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| Environmentalists are incensed at the proposal to reduce highest-level protections in the Coral Sea. |
The government on Tuesday night unexpectedly forced a vote on a Labor disallowance motion that would have vetoed the reduced conservation standards. A vote was not expected for several weeks.
The Greens had pledged to back Labor to block the cuts. However none of the 11 crossbenchers - many caught up in negotiations over the government's company tax cuts in recent days - had committed to supporting the move at the time of the vote.
The motion was defeated 34 votes to 28. A number of senators were absent for the vote.
Read Nicole Hasham’s story from today’s Age - “Labor and Greens lose bid to stop overhaul of sensitive marine zones.”
