Former environment minister says Angus Taylor made inquiries on behalf of farmers in his electorate

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Josh Frydenberg has defended a decision when he was environment minister to query whether he had the power to water down federal protections for critically endangered grasslands, and establish if any change had to be published, saying he was just investigating the process.

The Senate this week passed a Greens motion forcing the government to explain the conduct of two of its senior ministers – Angus Taylor and Frydenberg – in relation to critically endangered grasslands at the centre of an investigation involving companies part-owned by Taylor.

In an interview with Guardian Australia, Frydenberg said he made inquiries after Taylor sought a meeting with his office about the grasslands issue.

Coalition forced to explain conduct of Taylor and Frydenberg over endangered grasslands Read more

“We wanted to understand the process for that particular issue, bearing in mind it was upgraded to critically endangered,” he said.

“A meeting was sought by Angus to understand the technical aspects of the listing process and, as the local member, that’s absolutely within his rights to do so. A briefing was given and no changes have been made to the listing.”

Frydenberg said Taylor made inquiries on behalf of farmers in his electorate, and concerns about the listing were also raised separately with him by the farm lobby and by other MPs.

“This issue has also been raised by New South Wales farmers and the National Farmers’ Federation and to be honest it’s a very legitimate issue to raise as a farmer – how do you manage your resources and comply with the law and acquaint yourself with your obligations with the upgrading of that particular listing,” Frydenberg said.

“Angus wanted to understand the technical aspects. I was conscious to understand how the process works. It was about the overall impact on farmers … who were raising legitimate issues. It’s the right of a member to seek a briefing and no changes were made.”

Last month a Guardian Australia investigation revealed Taylor held talks with Frydenberg’s office and senior environment department officials about the protection of the natural temperate grassland of the south-eastern highlands.

Frydenberg was not at the meeting. Taylor met with advisers.

At the time of the meetings, Taylor was the minister for cities and Frydenberg was the environment minister. The meetings were requested via Frydenberg’s office. At the same time federal and state investigations were under way into the alleged poisoning of 30 hectares that contained the grassland on a property in the Monaro region of New South Wales owned by Jam Land Pty Ltd.

One of the directors of that company is Richard Taylor, the minister’s brother, and the minister himself holds an interest in the firm via his family investment company, Gufee.

Emails obtained by Guardian Australia showed that Frydenberg’s office raised the grasslands protection with the Department of the Environment and Energy on 8 March, a day after officials from the same department met Jam Land to discuss potential contraventions of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Angus Taylor says meeting attended by land-clearing investigator had nothing to do with case Read more

An investigator from the unit that examines breaches under national environment law was also present at the meeting with Taylor and Frydenberg’s office on 20 March 2017.

After lobbying by Taylor, Frydenberg’s office sought advice on whether protection of the grasslands could be watered down without first seeking the advice of the independent threatened species scientific committee, and whether this could be done without publishing the change.

Following the passage of the Senate motion this week, the Greens’ democracy spokeswoman, Larissa Waters, said: “There are serious questions ministers Taylor and Frydenberg need to answer about whether their behaviour complies with ministerial standards.

“The Greens motion means we will now get an explanation from the government’s leader in the Senate about his cabinet colleagues’ behaviour instead of the ‘nothing to see here’ we’ve been getting from the PM on this issue”.