Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move general notice of business No. 173 standing in my name:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

in 2006 the Australian Greens instigated an inquiry by the Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport into Australia’s future oil supply and alternative transport fuels,

(ii)

neither the former Howard Government, the former Rudd Government nor the Gillard Government have implemented the nine recommendations of that inquiry’s tripartite report, with only ‘Recommendation 6’ relating to incentives for fuel efficient vehicles even having been considered,

(iii)

following a series of whistleblower leaks, the International Energy Agency in 2010 for the first time publicly acknowledged the real threat of peak oil, and

(iv)

a series of diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks and published in the week beginning 6 February 2011 reveals growing confidence that Saudi Arabian oil reserves have been overstated by as much as 40 per cent and that the world’s biggest oil exporter may not be able to supply enough oil to the global market to prevent prices rising dramatically; and

(b)

calls on the Government immediately to develop a national plan to respond to the challenge of peak oil and Australia’s dependence on imported foreign oil.

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The government is opposing the motion. The government will examine Australia’s liquid fuel security in the National Energy Security Assessment which will be undertaken by the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism and is intended to be released to the public in the second half of 2011. This will examine Australia’s current energy security conditions as well as provide a trend analysis of energy security conditions in the short, medium and long term. Any liquid fuel security concerns arising from this assessment will be considered in the paper, which is intended to be finalised during 2012.

Question put:

That the motion (Senator Milne’s) be agreed to.