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

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I take it from the minister’s answer that he does not believe that peak oil has occurred or will occur in the coming decade—that, rather, as he said, this might occur at some time in the future. How responsible does the minister believe it is for the government not to have advice about peak oil? Secondly, can the minister confirm that the government still takes advice from ABARE, which repeatedly said that the price of oil into the future will be $30 to $40 a barrel? I ask the minister: what will it take for the government to review this assumption being put forward by ABARE, and when will the government put policy initiatives in place that will begin to address Australia’s growing dependence on dwindling foreign supplies of oil?