Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Pocock, I have answered this question before by pointing to the fact that this legislation has had a very long period of development and has been in the works for a very long time. We've stepped through the timetable many times. An amendment was made to the London protocol in 2009. It was considered by the JSCOT in 2020. Legislation to consider the matter commenced under the previous government. Minister Plibersek referred the broad question of the amendments to the London protocol to the House Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water in 2023. Legislation was then introduced, and it was considered by a Senate committee. Most of that timetable predates the debate on the safeguard mechanism. I don't think it is unusual for reforms to proceed in parallel, and the government has been very upfront that the reform of the arrangements around carbon capture and storage are connected to our broader arrangements in relation to emissions reduction across the economy.