Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to Senator Heffernan for the question—and congratulations to him on getting a question. These are matters which have been discussed in Senate estimates on a number of occasions. I think Senator Heffernan traversed some of these issues then. I believe he is speaking about the Sugarloaf Pipeline and the conditions that Minister Garrett put in place under the EPBC Act. As I said then and will repeat now: there are means for enforcement under the EPBC Act—that statute sets those out. I will obtain any further information from the department—and this is actually Minister Garrett’s department—that I can. I am not aware of anything further since the Senate estimates on this issue, but it is possible there may have been further actions, to which Senator Heffernan is referring. But again I say: the conditions of approval are conditions that have force under the EPBC Act. There are a range of enforcement mechanisms under that act, and this project will be treated, like any other, in accordance with the provisions of that statute. I recognise, and the government recognises, that this is an issue that has attracted a great deal of attention within Victoria, but, as Mr Garrett has consistently said, his decision on this issue is driven by the merits of the matter before him, and, of course, there is only a limited set of issues before him in relation to the pipeline.