Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I have articulated in my speech on the second reading debate the concern we have about the release of an unassessed genetically modified organism into the environment. The issue of scale and severity goes specifically to the issue around industrial spillages. When does an industrial spillage such as an oil spill become such a threat that it requires these extraordinary provisions? That is what I am seeking to clarify and get some guidance on because I cannot think of a spill—and I come from a very strong environmental background—in Australia that I have been involved with in some form or another that I would think would be severe enough to trigger these amendments. I am not aware of any where I would think that the threat was so severe that you would release untested—and here we are talking about potentially untested and unassessed—GMOs.