Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

The opposition will not be supporting this amendment. In this particular case, we support the government. I have had a look at it closely. I understand your concerns, Senator Milne. But I have had a very close look at proposed section 5(2)(g). There is nowhere else in the legislation where we are specifically compelling Infrastructure Australia to take any particular direction. The catch-all and fairly vague function that the minister provides clearly gives the minister opportunity to do so. I would have thought that organisations of the nature of Infrastructure Australia will not be prevented from doing so. The fact that in the legislation it says ‘to provide advice on infrastructure policy issues arising from climate change’ is sufficient, I would have thought. It would not improve the legislation to make that more specific.