Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

With regard to the CPRS permits and those listed, I think I have good news and bad news. With regard to the burning of savannas, I think we can be satisfied that those methodologies are in place. I refer to the West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Project. In contrast, referring to livestock—livestock contribute some 75 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions, or at least they are ascribed to from agriculture, from activities of ruminants—I fear for our capacity to be able to develop robust methodologies in that area, given the diversity of management of ruminants in Australia from pastoral to agricultural, from extensive to intensive. I question the minister following the policy commitment to exclude agriculture indefinitely from the CPRS and the statement:

The Government commits to conducting a Productivity Commission review in 2015 of whether the agricultural sector is at world’s best practice mitigation and examine potential measures to achieve this.

Minister, firstly, what will that process be and, secondly, could that actually lead to a withdrawal of the exclusion of agriculture from the emissions trading scheme? I cannot see anything in the documentation that helps me understand the details proposed with regard to the Productivity Commission review.