Tony Windsor (New England, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I will speak only briefly to the motion before the House. I agree with the general substance of what the member for Lyne has suggested and I have listened with interest to other members in the House. I agree with the substance of what has been said by those who are going to support this. If it were in another form, I would be voting for it.

The reason that I am not supporting the member for Lyne's disallowance motion is that I feel compelled to support the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee agreement from whence this regulation has come. It is on those grounds that I cannot support it. I feel that I made an agreement. I heard from my office the member for Melbourne speak some moments ago. There are parts of that agreement that he disagrees with, there are parts that I disagree with, and I am sure there are parts that the minister at the table disagrees with on a personal level. But it was an agreement that was reached for the longer term benefit of what we believe our community requires through the various arrangements in the clean energy suite of legislation.

So even though I do not disagree with what the member for Lyne is saying, I find that because of the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee agreement I am unable to support his motion. If it were introduced in another form—and a few members have mentioned the parliamentary committee that has looked at this—I would look very seriously at supporting it. But, as I said, I cannot support the disallowance of the regulation which was part of the agreement that was reached.

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