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

Senator Joyce, I do not know if I can assist you any further. I have indicated to you what the legislation says. It also refers to regulations. Other than that, you are really asking me to tell you what a court would say ‘direct, human induced methods’ means. The legislation says:

Under the regulations, the stand is taken to have been established by means of direct, human-induced methods …

Second, in relation to Senator Milne’s question, we traversed that in detail this morning. I explained to the senator that the offset integrity committee would be charged with the methodologies for the offsets, including avoided deforestation. Those methodologies would be established in accordance with the act, if passed, and the proposed act does refer to additionality at 259K(2)(c), which I referred the senator to this morning. I again read it:

… the project would not have been proposed or carried out in the absence of the issue of free Australian emissions units in accordance with the domestic offsets program …

I am not sure that I can add anything to that, Senator Milne. What you are asking me to do is to second-guess how the committee, if this legislation were passed, would approach its job in determining what methodology should apply to give effect to that statutory commitment.