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

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Resources and Energy and it is regarding the gas hub development of Woodside at James Price Point in the Kimberley. Is it true that the retention lease given by the Commonwealth and the state of Western Australia was conditional primarily on the plant being at James Price Point unless a site could be found where the development could go ahead quicker on a commercially viable basis?

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Brown, for the question. Perhaps before I go to some of the detail of Senator Brown’s questions, by way of background, Browse Basin gas reserves is a gas field—

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

Mr President, on a point of order—yes, it is a very early intervention here: there is a minute and 43 seconds left, and I did not ask for background on this particular matter; I asked for an answer to the question about the conditions of the lease. I want the minister to answer that question.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order: the minister made it clear to Senator Brown that he would come to the specifics of the question but he sought to put it in the context in which he chose to frame the answer. I think it is quite reasonable for him to do that and, given that he had only gone about 17 seconds, it is totally inappropriate for people to take points of order when the minister has indicated quite clearly he intended to answer the question.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Two minutes are allocated for the answering of questions in question time. Only 17 seconds have elapsed, as was rightfully pointed out. The minister has a minute and 43 seconds remaining to answer the question. I draw the minister’s attention to the question.

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the interests of transparency, which I know Senator Brown is particularly keen on, I would have thought—and I know not every senator and certainly not the many hundreds of thousands who watch the broadcast of our Senate program would know what Senator Brown is asking about, so I think it is useful to at least give some indication of what this—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was referring to the Oprah Winfrey Show, not Senate question time. Sorry, I got mixed up.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Sherry, come back to the question. Ignore the interjections.

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is what I was intending to do because I am trying to assist senators and I am trying to assist the many people who watch Senate question time. I could give them some very basic information and answer Senator Brown’s question. We would have got there a lot earlier—we would have got there 33 seconds ago—if it had not been for the point of order 17 seconds into my question.

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Seventy seconds.

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Seventeen. I am attempting to press on under the most difficult circumstances and I have not even started the brief on the background.

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

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I asked a direct question about the condition of the retention lease. It is very clear that the minister is fudging and trying to avoid answering that question. I ask you to direct him to answer the question as put.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brown, unfortunately people quite wrongly interjected during your question. I drew the minister’s attention to the question. I also drew attention to the fact that the minister at that stage had only been going for 17 seconds. The minister should address the question and should ignore interjections, which are completely disorderly, during question time.

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Now I have been going for 93 seconds and I still have not got to the very basis of the question. The Browse Basin gas reserves are a very significant gas deposit in a world-class gas province. The gas will be processed and brought onshore from the field at James Price Point. My advice, Senator Brown, is that on 9 February 2010 the Browse joint venture partners, Woodside, BP, BHP—(Time expired)

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

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. We can all see what is happening here, so I will put this question as a consequence. Will the minister confirm that Martin Ferguson, the Minister for Resources and Energy, directed the companies involved to have this project at James Price Point unless they could show that an earlier commercially viable option was available, knowing that that would not be the case?

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying—and I have described the joint venture partners—on 9 February the partners agreed the selection of James Price Point as the location to process the gas from the venture’s Browse Basin gas fields subject to necessary approvals and consents. As to your claim—there is a claim in your question—I certainly do not have any brief before me. As the representational minister, I will take the details of your question on notice, refer it to my colleague and obtain a response to your claims. I would point out that there is a dispute at the present time between the Western Australian—(Time expired)

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

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. The lease answers the question: the minister did direct the proponents to have this project at James Price Point unless they could show a commercially viable alternative, which was not to be the case. I ask the minister: what is the point of the Commonwealth undertaking to protect national environmental and social values, including those of the Indigenous people of this country, if it so directs—(Time expired)

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Brown. I have not read the lease myself, Senator Brown.

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

You don’t know, do you?

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You asked me about the lease; I just point out as the representational minister that I think that is reasonable. My ministerial colleague may have read the lease, but I certainly have not read the lease, Senator Brown, so I am not aware of its contents. I will take on notice whether your interpretation—your view—of the meaning of the lease is correct. I do not know, but I will take that on notice for you.

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

It’s true; you don’t know.

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was trying, in a fairly expeditious time, in responding to your initial question, to be quite frank and give, I thought, a reasonable amount of detail amid a constant barrage of interruptions and points of order, which made it very difficult for me to answer the question in two minutes. There is a legal dispute; I am conscious of that. I have taken it on notice to provide advice—(Time expired)