Opened the debate
Cox moved the second reading of the bill, which seeks to legislate penalties for emissions damaging significant First Nations rock art. Cox argued that rock art is an irreplaceable cultural resource dating back tens of thousands of years, with over 100,000 sites across Australia. Cox stated that the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 currently contains a policy gap, as it does not treat emissions damaging heritage monuments as a matter of national environmental significance. Cox proposed that the bill would insert a new controlled action into the Act, requiring vulnerability investigations for monuments at risk from industrial activity. Cox argued that if damage is confirmed, the minister must declare a prohibited area and impose civil financial penalties on entities continuing to pollute.