Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on this most important piece of government legislation. The Offshore Petroleum Amendment (Greenhouse Gas Storage) Bill 2008 and related bills deal with some of the more innovative aspects of what the current government is planning to do on the issue of energy. My own state, of course, has been a pioneer in lots of these areas. As Senator Bernardi would know, we lead the country in wind power. You may be smiling, Mr Acting Deputy President Parry, but what I am saying is true. We are innovators and leaders in South Australia in energy and, in particular, new forms of technology in the energy sector. One of those areas that you might be interested in is, of course, wind power. We have now developed about 45 per cent of Australia’s wind power resources, yet we have only nine per cent of Australia’s population.