Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I guess another aspect of it is that there is a concern that those who are early adopters will effectively be penalised for doing what they did previously. Unless they satisfy the additionality test they will be penalised, as I understand it, because it means that in some regions a plant would have to close down through lack of viability. But as I understand it, Minister, your office has been available to discuss this whole policy issue with those landfill operators so that we do not lose those plants which actually do make a positive contribution to reducing emissions. There is a concern amongst the early movers that they have invested in power generation and abatement infrastructure under existing abatement schemes and that they are unlikely to meet additionality requirements under the new rules. I just hope that the concerns of LMS will not come to fruition, but I think there is goodwill on the part of the government to make sure that will not occur. So hopefully there will be further discussions in relation to this. This amendment was to try and ensure that especially those regional abatement programs, both existing and proposed, can still proceed and can make a positive contribution, in a number of communities, to abatement.