Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate calls for approval of the pulp mill proposed by Gunns Limited to be subject to all environmental considerations being fully satisfied.

Question put.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The government oppose the motion put forward by Senator Bob Brown. The Australian government’s consideration and approval of the pulp mill at Bell Bay can only extend to the environmental issues under the Australian government’s jurisdiction through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The Prime Minister, no less, last week made it clear that the government’s policy was that the Gunns Ltd pulp mill should be subject to all environmental considerations being fully satisfied. We have just had the government vote against the Prime Minister’s own reference on the pulp mill. So the question is: who is in control here? Is it Prime Minister Howard or is it the government senators who we have just seen vote? The vote was totally contradictory. Within a week, the government senators have voted against the Prime Minister’s own reference on the pulp mill. We should get this sorted out. Has the Tasmanian Liberal Party got a different point of view to the Prime Minister? It would seem so.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I rise on a point of order. We gave leave for a short statement relating to the vote. This is going into other areas.

John Hogg (Queensland, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order that Senator Parry was trying to make indicates how embarrassing this is for the Liberal Party, including, in particular, the Tasmanian Liberal Party. Your Prime Minister says that environmental considerations will be fully satisfied before this pulp mill will go ahead. The Greens endorse that, come in here and say, ‘Let’s have that put to the test,’ and government members vote it down. It is time you did your homework. It is time you joined in solidarity with Prime Minister Howard on this to fully satisfy the environmental considerations outlined by the Prime Minister. There is a split in the Liberal Party. It does not know what it is doing. Senator Abetz should go and see the Prime Minister and explain how he got it so wrong in the Senate chamber today over the pulp mill.