Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I can advise Senator Xenophon that the types of geographical localities in which discussions are occurring are spread across Europe, North America and Asia. So the profile of potential contracts, in the sense of the 11 locations that are in discussions, is quite broad and would provide for geographical diversity in all likelihood.

The government is really working to see the ticket market, as such, expanded to ensure there are as many options as possible. That brings both cost and price benefits as well as geographical security benefits of sorts. At present, there are two main purchasers of tickets: the New Zealand government purchases tickets under an arrangement such as the one before the Senate at present, and companies operating in the EU also purchase tickets to manage separate stockholding obligations that some European countries have under national legislation requirements.

Obviously, Australia's entry into this approach would expand that market and create more opportunities, and opportunities to provide for, as I say, a range of scenarios in which contracts are held that do provide for the necessary security that Australia seeks to guarantee under its IEA obligations and out of our domestic interests.