Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Science and Water) Share this | Hansard source

I want to pick up the point that Senator Allison made about the recyclers and reiterate the concerns that we had about recycled oil. Again, it is a matter of poor policy coordination when we have the Product Stewardship for Oil program and programs that are being promoted under the Environment and Heritage portfolio on the one hand, and the issues and the impact of the bill on the other hand which we see as generating very serious future problems for the environment. I do urge that you take up Senator Allison’s point and consider that impact further.

Senator Joyce has left the chamber, but I did want to make the point too that if he were really so concerned I think he would have done us all a favour if he had supported the second reading amendment that I moved which would have looked at a 2009 review. It was a bit disingenuous, I think, Minister, to suggest that the amendment did not actually fit within the debate on this bill. The merit of a 2009 review to assess the progress of the biofuels industry in this country stands, in my view. The government had no reason for opposing the amendment and it could certainly have given us all a bit of hope that we would not be abandoning the industry too much in the future.