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senate vote 2012-09-10#10
Edited by
mackay staff
on
2014-01-30 15:03:28
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Title
Bills — Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development) Bill 2012; in Committee- Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development) Bill 2012 - In Committee - Climate change and public health
Description
<p class="speaker">Larissa Waters</p><p>I thank the Senate for its support on those previous amendments. This last lot of amendments are in a similar vein to the previous ones just passed so I am hopeful that senators may feel of a similar mind and agree to again extend just a little further the scope of issues that the committee advises the ministers on. We have just agreed to add 'land use' as an issue that the committee will provide advice on—or, rather, the impacts of coalmining and coal seam gas on land use.</p><p>The TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN: Senator Waters, I am going to ask you to stop your contribution while all the groups chattering move to do so outside the chamber. I will call you when you have the silence you deserve. Please continue, Senator Waters.</p>- The majority voted against a [http://www.openaustralia.org/senate/?gid=2012-09-10.377.1 Greens amendment] moved by Senator [http://publicwhip-test.openaustraliafoundation.org.au/mp.php?mpn=Larissa_Waters&mpc=Senate&house=senate Larissa Waters].
- The amendment seeks to extend the remit of the Committee created by this bill to include the impacts of coalmining and coal seam gas on climate change and on public health. In other words, the amendment adds climate change and public health to the issues that the Committee has to advise on.[1]
- Background to the bill
- The bill establishes an Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development ('the Committee')[2] to provide federal, state and territory governments with scientific advice on coal seam gas and large coal mining developments which may have significant impacts on water resources.[3]
- References
- * [1] Read Senator Waters discussion on the amendment [http://www.openaustralia.org/senate/?gid=2012-09-10.377.1 here].
- * [2] Read more about the Committee [http://www.environment.gov.au/coal-seam-gas-mining/ here].
- * [3] See [http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r4778 here] for explanatory memoranda and proposed amendments.
<p>Thank you, Madam Temporary Chairman. I am sure they are chattering about coal seam gas so all the better. As I was saying, the last amendments added the impacts of coalmining and coal seam gas on land use to the issues that this advisory committee has to advise on. That is a good thing. It is a small improvement but it does not fix the fundamental problem with the bill being that nobody has to take any heed of the advice; however, it is still good to have that advice on the public record.</p><p>These next amendments seek to extend that remit just a little further to include the impacts of coalmining and coal seam gas on climate change and on public health, which, as I alluded to earlier, are issues of great concern in the community and also among the experts. Given the lateness of the hour, I will not elaborate any further. These amendments are similar in nature to a couple that I moved earlier today, which were to add environmental impacts and public health impacts to the list of issues that the committee considers. Given the success of the previous amendments I was encouraged to re-move these slightly reworded amendments, and it is with great hope for support that I now seek leave to move amendments (1) to (11) on sheet 7279 together.</p><p>Leave granted.</p><p>I move Australian Greens amendments (1) to (11) on sheet 7279 together:</p><p class="italic">(1) Schedule 1, item 2, page 3 (lines 29 and 30), omit “; and”, substitute “and/or climate change and/or public health; and”</p><p class="italic">(2) Schedule 1, item 4, page 5 (line 17), at the end of paragraph 505D(1)(a), add “and/or climate change and/or public health”.</p><p class="italic">(3) Schedule 1, item 4, page 5 (line 23), at the end of paragraph 505D(1)(b), add “and/or climate change and/or public health”.</p><p class="italic">(4) Schedule 1, item 4, page 6 (line 2), omit “; and”, substitute “and/or climate change and/or public health; and”</p><p class="italic">(5) Schedule 1, item 4, page 6 (line 5), at the end of subparagraph 505D(1)(d)(ii), add “and/or climate change and/or public health”.</p><p class="italic">(6) Schedule 1, item 4, page 6 (line 9), at the end of paragraph 505D(1)(e), add “and/or climate change and/or public health”.</p><p class="italic">(7) Schedule 1, item 4, page 6 (line 11), before “from”, insert “and/or climate change and/or public health”.</p><p class="italic">(8) Schedule 1, item 4, page 6 (line 17), at the end of paragraph 505D(1)(g), add “and/or climate change and/or public health”.</p><p class="italic">(9) Schedule 1, item 6, page 7 (line 15), at the end of the definition of bioregional assessment, add “and/or climate change and/or public health”.</p><p class="italic">(10) Schedule 1, item 7, page 7 (line 20), omit “:”, substitute “and/or climate change and/or public health:”</p><p class="italic">(11) Schedule 1, item 10, page 8 (line 8), omit “:”, substitute “and/or climate change and/or public health:”</p> <p class="speaker">Stephen Conroy</p><p>The amendments are not supported. The focus of the committee is quite properly on the impacts of coal seam gas and large coalmining development on water resources. This is critical to ensure that the committee's work is focused on the priority issues under its mandate and to be sure of consistency with the arrangements agreed between the Commonwealth and states under the national partnership agreement.</p> <p class="speaker">Trish Crossin</p><p>The question therefore is that amendments (1) to (11) on sheet 7279, moved by Senator Waters, be agreed to.</p>
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