Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to Senator Conroy in his capacity representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. What involvement has the Australian Maritime Safety Authority had in response to the massive oil and ammonium nitrate spill caused by the Pacific Adventurer in waters off Moreton Bay in Queensland, which will have a catastrophic impact on Queensland’s environment, wildlife, fishing and tourism industries?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Macdonald, for that question. This is an issue that is of substantial concern to all Australians. It is obviously an issue of particular concern to the people of Queensland. The Hong Kong China registered general cargo ship Pacific Adventurer departed Newcastle for Brisbane on Tuesday, 10 March with 31 containers. At 3.15 on Wednesday, 11 March, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority received a report from the Brisbane Harbour Council that the ship reported that it had lost the 31 containers overboard in rough seas eight nautical miles east of Moreton Island.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They have conceded that? What did they actually do?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority issued a broadcast alert for shipping in the area. The national plan for combating oil pollution was activated on Wednesday and its oil spill response resources were made available to the Queensland authorities. The plan is a cooperative arrangement between the states and the Commonwealth to work together to pool expertise and resources in times of oil pollution.

Under the terms of the national plan, prime responsibility for the foreshore clean-up rests with Maritime Safety Queensland with assistance from the other jurisdictions. AMSA is the relevant Commonwealth agency. Teams of trained response personnel and equipment from around Australia were sent to Queensland to assist. The Pacific Adventurer then proceeded to anchorage off the port of Brisbane where an assessment of the ship was conducted by an AMSA surveyor. The ship’s crew advised that 20 to 30 tonnes of heavy fuel were lost. AMSA arranged for aerial surveillance of the area where the loss of containers and oil spill occurred. No containers were observed. (Time expired)

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for that information, but in view of the huge delay that the Queensland government was engaged in in getting organised to address this spill, I ask the minister: when did the Queensland government actually contact the federal government seeking activation of the National Marine Oil Spill Contingency Plan? In view of that delay and in view of the minister’s answer to my first question, when was the actual offer made to Queensland for material to be available? When was the offer of support made? Mr President, as you would know as a Queenslander, it has taken so long for the Queensland government to get involved and I am interested in whether the minister can tell me some times—and I am pleased that the advisers have handed him some notes—that might be able to inform me when the Queensland government actually took the matter seriously.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I utterly reject the suggestions in that diatribe from Senator Macdonald. I will continue to provide information, though, on the Commonwealth and Queensland government’s efforts in this area. As I was saying, no containers were observed. However, an oil slick three nautical miles long and 500 metres wide was sighted approximately four nautical miles north of Moreton Island. The weather conditions on Wednesday consisted of gale force winds and heavy seas as a result of a tropical cyclone. In such conditions, it was not feasible to use oil spill dispersants or oil recovery equipment to prevent the oil from coming onshore.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order that goes directly to relevance: the minister was asked about time of notification and requests for assistance. He has not gone anywhere near the question and he has not got long to answer.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order: one of the difficulties we are always confronted with is the point of order which goes to only part of the question.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The difficulty in this—and please let me have my opportunity to address the point of order—is that the question first of all made an assertion, which may or may not have been part of the question because it depends on whether the senator provided an inflection at the end where he said ‘in view of the huge delay’. They were the words he started with—completely wrong but an assertion nonetheless, unless of course he was asking a question as part of that assertion. Senator Conroy was responding not only to the substance of the question, which was to address when, but also in part to a huge assertion made at the beginning of the question. It is appropriate for a minister to address an assertion as well as the primary question if a senator is going to include assertions in the primary question. We have dealt with this before in question time. An assertion is not part of the question and should not be part of the question. There is no point of order.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There are nine seconds left, Senator Conroy, and I draw your attention to the question.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to take it on notice and get you those exact details, but let me deal with the rest of the question and the assertions that were being made. Oil dispersants can only be sprayed— (Time expired)

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Presi-dent, I ask a further supplementary question. It seems to me that Senator Conroy is either part of the stuff-up or part of the cover-up in this matter. Specifically, has the Maritime Emergency Response Commander or the maritime pollution controller exercised their powers of intervention in light of the slow response and underestimation of the size of the spill by the Queensland government?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Once again, I utterly reject the inane politicking being engaged in by Senator Macdonald in a pathetic attempt to try and win votes for his failing party in Queensland, and that is exactly how it should be seen. If I can go to the substance of the question, oil dispersants can only be sprayed by small single-engine, low-flying aircraft similar to those used on farms, flying only metres above the affected ocean.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of order on relevance: the question was specifically whether the Maritime Emergency Response Commander has exercised his intervention powers because of the slow response and underestimation by Queensland. That is the question. Has the Maritime Emergency Response Commander exercised his powers? I am interested in what Senator Conroy says, but it was not the question he was asked.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Thirty-one seconds have gone in the answering of this question and 29 seconds remain. Senator Conroy, you need to address the question.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am dealing specifically with not just what Senator Macdonald himself described as the specific question but the general context in which—

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Did it happen or didn’t it? You have to be directly relevant.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am being directly relevant to the diatribe that was taking place.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Conroy, address your comments to the chair.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So I am taking you through why there was not a slow response. I am taking you through exactly why there was not a slow response. AMSA has— (Time expired)