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

I will ask the advisers to provide me some advice to give to the chamber on the last five or six questions. In relation to your first point about needing a lot of time on this, I accept that. I was just asking if it was envisaged we would get to any resolution after some 20 hours of debate—whether we would actually be able to vote on it. In relation to the National Carbon Accounting System, I reject one implication, which is that the National Carbon Accounting System does not include measurement. My advice is that it does. It is also a model. We think it is a very sound accounting system, particularly given the size of this country. If we want to properly measure these things, we need to have methods which enable us to look at the broad scale of the Australian landscape. In relation to the maps, I understand we have tabled an answer on that and given you an indication as to our view about that. Finally, again, your question really goes to the methodology for whether it is avoided deforestation. That goes back to the need to develop a test for the methodology around additionality, and that would be a matter for the committee.