Kay Patterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In that section, 20(1), (e) is, as I said before, where they can regulate regarding an egg used in:

research and training involving the fertilisation ... up to, but not including, the first mitotic division,

because otherwise it is not regulated at all, because it is not an embryo. So there is no other regulation except under SCNT with regard to this bill. So it is regulating the use of eggs for SCNT, because it did not appear before, and for using up to the first mitotic division—otherwise they would not have to apply for a licence; they could just go and do it. So what we have done is to put in there that, if they are using an egg up to the first mitotic division, they have to apply for a licence to ensure that we have proper consent. That is one way of protecting people giving eggs for SCNT or for ‘research and training involving the fertilisation of the human egg by human sperm’—which is (e)—to make sure that is covered to ensure you have proper consent. I think I have outlined that once before, and it is there in 20(1) and it is also covered under using eggs for SCNT.