Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. This morning on Sky News the Deputy Prime Minister refused to say whether the government had sought advice on the legality of his ministerial decisions. Has the government sought any advice on the risk of legal challenge if the Deputy Prime Minister, acting as the minister for resources, makes the necessary ministerial determination—

Mr Pyne interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will cease interjecting.

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to put gas export controls in place?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can assure the honourable member that the government is absolutely satisfied that all ministers are exercising their authority within their departments in accordance with their responsibilities and that the minister will make the determination under the domestic gas mechanism at the appropriate time. There is a—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Honourable members may want to listen. As they would know, if they've studied the mechanism, there is an elaborate process of fact finding and consultation that leads up to the making of the decision. But it is also important to recognise that the foreshadowed policy has already had a very beneficial result on gas prices. We've seen large amounts of additional gas being made available into the market, including that announced today by Santos—another 30 petajoules of gas to be supplied into east coast domestic market—and, as I said earlier, we've seen wholesale spot prices easing substantially since the announcement of the policy was made earlier in the year. So we are taking action that is having the desired effect of making more gas available and bringing down the price of gas, a price that had become very high—unaffordably high—because of the complacency and neglect of the honourable member's party when they were in government.