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

I move Australian Greens amendment (1) on sheet 5143:

(1)    Schedule 1, page 16 (after line 14), after item 67, insert:

67A After Subdivision F of Division 1 of Part 3

Insert:

Subdivision FA—Offences relating to greenhouse gas emissions

24B Offence relating to greenhouse gas emissions

This is an amendment to insert a greenhouse gas trigger that is equivalent to 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum. It would catch medium to large mining operations and other high energy users around the country who would have slipped in under the Labor Party’s 500,000-tonne trigger. It is consistent with what former Senator Hill and, in fact, the Prime Minister agreed to, back in 1999-2000; it just goes further than 500,000 tonnes and is a more stringent measure at 100,000 tonnes. It does not mean that such activities are prevented, but it does mean that those activities would trigger the environmental assessment and approvals process and, during that process, there would be an assessment of whether that project was consistent with the national target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This issue has been canvassed extensively over the last few hours as we have debated this bill, so I will leave my remarks there.

Question put:

That the amendment (Senator Milne’s) be agreed to.