Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to incorporate a response to a question on notice from Senator Macdonald yesterday in relation to the Maritime Emergency Response Commander and the maritime pollution controller.

Leave granted.

The document read as follows—

Question on notice from Senator Macdonald on Monday 16 March 2009.

Question:

Has the Maritime Emergency Response Commander or the maritime pollution controller exercised their powers of intervention in light of the slow response and underestimation of the size of the spill by the Queensland Government?

Answer:

The National Plan for Combating Oil Pollution was activated shortly after the incident on Wednesday and all its oil spill response resources have been made available to the Queensland authorities.

The National Emergency Response Commander was not required to exercise his powers in this situation.

The Maritime Pollution Controller is a position under the National Plan for Combating Oil Pollution.