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

I am not rubbishing, Senator Heffernan. Your parliamentary spokesman in charge of this bill says that you are not supporting this amendment anymore. Those in the other place who run this bill for you are saying, 'No, Senator Heffernan, you are wrong.' When we went back to the chamber, Mr Burke moved an amendment to clarify the existing meaning that impacts on water resources to include any impact of associated salt production and/or salinity. Minister Burke went on to say, 'I do not view these amendments as producing anything significantly different from what the government already had.' The shadow minister, Mr Macfarlane, supports the additional amendments.

Now we are back here again today. Let me make it very clear: the scientific review process is to investigate the impact of CSG on water resources including the salinity that may be produced by this resource activity. Why are we worried about the salinity: because it provides a risk for downstream land uses. That is a given. The proper focus of this investigative process is to identify the scope for the salt and other containments to enter our precious water resources. We cannot mandate an extension of the investigation into the impact on land use as that is the constitutional province of the states.

Over my nearly 17 years in the chamber, there have been a number of occasions when those opposite—and Senator Heffernan, if you have a legitimate point of order, please make it, but if you want to give a speech, wait until I am finished—