Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I think, Senator Siewert, we have been open and frank about the fact that there has been an oversight here. There has been a legislative requirement to seek the Minister for the Environment's approval for renewal or extension of these petroleum titles. That has not happened. We have been as open as we can be about why that has happened, due to the issues in the department. Obviously, as I said in my summing-up speech, we all make errors from time to time, including me. The best thing we can do is make sure we fix those errors when they are exposed. We have the expert legal advice from the Australian Government Solicitor about the best way to fix these problems while still maintaining our strong environmental protections.