John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I seek the indulgence of the chair to add to an answer.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister may proceed.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Melbourne Ports asked me a question about a company called Global Renewables. I have subsequently been informed that it is a company that has been driven to locate overseas by winning a reported $5 billion waste management contract in Lancashire and that the government supported Global Renewables’ bid for this contract, including letters of support and meetings with UK officials.

Can I amplify further the comment I made about the underpinning of the state Labor governments’ proposal for a national emissions trading scheme. I said that I had been informed that part of their proposal involved a termination of the MRET scheme, which the question invited me to endorse and extend rather than to terminate. Since giving the answer, I have been handed the transparencies of a briefing that was given to the Prime Ministerial Task Group on Emissions Trading on 21 March. This was a briefing from state officials, who of course are informed on the policy proposal that the Labor governments have and which I understand the federal opposition supports. Under the heading ‘Relationship with other measures’ it contains the following dot point. After it says ‘G Gas discontinued’—that is a transitional measure—it then says ‘other schemes run their course and not renewed’. Then in brackets it reads:

NRET—

which I think was the Northern Territory renewable energies trading scheme—

VRET—

which is a Victorian renewable energies trading scheme—

Queensland 13% Gas Scheme.

The point I am making is that, simultaneously with the member asking me a question which exhorts me to increase the mandatory renewable targets, his party has a policy to phase them out.