Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for that information, but in view of the huge delay that the Queensland government was engaged in in getting organised to address this spill, I ask the minister: when did the Queensland government actually contact the federal government seeking activation of the National Marine Oil Spill Contingency Plan? In view of that delay and in view of the minister’s answer to my first question, when was the actual offer made to Queensland for material to be available? When was the offer of support made? Mr President, as you would know as a Queenslander, it has taken so long for the Queensland government to get involved and I am interested in whether the minister can tell me some times—and I am pleased that the advisers have handed him some notes—that might be able to inform me when the Queensland government actually took the matter seriously.