Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Australian businesses are still being offered gas contracts that are double or triple the price of their expiring contracts. The gas trigger must be pulled by 1 November. Given that the High Court may not decide whether Senator Canavan or the Deputy Prime Minister are even qualified to be members of parliament by then, why won't the Prime Minister stand his deputy aside and put someone else in the job that can pull the trigger now?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The trigger on gas that should be pulled immediately is the one held by the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory—there is a very large amount of gas reserves there—and, of course, Daniel Andrews as well. While I welcome the Leader of the Opposition's partial backflip on Victorian gas, apparently he is now not opposed to developing—

Opposition Member:

An opposition member interjecting—

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, maybe I'm being too kind to him. But I understood he wasn't opposed to developing conventional gas in Victoria anymore. We have a lot of gas in Australia, and Labor Party politics is keeping too much of it locked up. There is a big opportunity. We had a great event last night. The member for Solomon was there, of course. He spoke, with Senator Scullion, about the great opportunity in the Northern Territory. I am talking about Facing North and the future of the Northern Territory. Gas can be a great future for the Territory, and they can provide a lot of gas to Australia.

Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for External Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What do the people of the Northern Territory think, you idiot!

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lingiari will withdraw.

Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for External Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And he will now leave under 94(a).

The member for Lingiari then left the chamber.

The Prime Minister has the call.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For the assistance of the member for Blaxland, I will just repeat what I said earlier in the week. The domestic gas mechanism, which would have the effect of restricting exports to the extent necessary to ensure the domestic market is fully supplied, comes into operation on 1 January. The minister has a decision to make about the extent of the restriction on exports to be made, which obviously is based on a lot of industry and expert advice which is being received. As I described earlier in the week, we're already seeing substantial amounts of gas coming into the domestic market. So it is, in a sense, a very rapidly changing environment. So as long as the decision is taken before 1 January, it does not matter when the decision is taken. The honourable member—and I am sure he has done this innocently—shouldn't mislead the House by suggesting that the gas mechanism comes into effect any earlier than 1 January. The minister will make his decision when he is fully informed and able to do so, and then the mechanism will come into place on 1 January.