Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Through you, Madam Temporary Chairman, to Senator Ludlam, the opposition’s position, as I earlier indicated, is one that is not in favour of supporting any of these amendments for the reasons outlined by the government and by me in my earlier remarks. To reiterate the point that was made, this bill is about bringing the treatment of uranium into line with the treatment of all other minerals in the Northern Territory for the purposes of royalty payments. That is eminently logical and, as the parliamentary secretary has indicated, we are talking about a royalty regime which has operated in the Northern Territory for some 25 years, with which everybody is familiar and which does on a consensus basis best suit all the stakeholders involved. It is our view that this is an appropriate bill and that it is not appropriate to support the amendments proposed.

Generally speaking, from my own point of view and, I think, from the opposition’s point of view, the policy proposition of reviews of new policy proposals does make eminent sense. In relation to some issues in the portfolio of communications—with which Senator Ludlam is as familiar as me—we have moved in this place for some review mechanisms of some of the things that the government is doing, and that is appropriate from time to time in relation to new policy. But I do reiterate that what this bill is doing is bringing uranium into line with a regime which is certainly not new but has in fact operated for some 25 years. The issue of a general review of those arrangements is a matter for another day, another place and another time. This is not the vehicle for any such suggestion

I must say I am not, and the coalition is not, generally aware of any enormous angst or concern about the royalty regime. It has operated for some time in the Northern Territory and it, no doubt, does not please everybody. The regulatory impact statement that the government issued in relation to this is a good canvassing of all the issues associated with the question of how appropriate payments should be made, to whom and by what mechanisms. Without delving into that whole question, I reiterate that this is not the vehicle for any such review. We are talking about existing policy and are simply ensuring that an existing policy now applies to uranium and brings uranium in the Northern Territory into line with the treatment of all other minerals. It is an approach that the coalition supports.