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

You should withdraw that, Senator Wong; it was quite offensive.

This is an important issue, and there have been a number of representations made to my office in recent days from the waste coalmine gas industry. Whilst I appreciate those representations, the reason that I cannot support this is primarily because the waste coalmine gas industry still gets the benefit of the New South Wales government’s GGAS scheme. If we had a CPRS then obviously things would change because the GGAS scheme would fall off in relation to that, but whilst there is a GGAS scheme it is not appropriate to bring waste coalmine gas into this particular scheme. It is true that it is not renewable but this scheme does have a number of other elements of it that could be seen as not pure and I think there is a policy difference between the circumstances surrounding landfill gas and waste coalmine gas. There is a fundamental difference between the two.

The GGAS scheme is already in place. I understand that the minister has also had a number of representations in recent days from the waste coalmine gas industry and, if there are genuine concerns about the impact on the industry as a consequence of this legislation then obviously I would appreciate an undertaking from the minister that those concerns will be monitored closely. But, given that the GGAS scheme is still in place and that it is there to give credits for this industry, I do not think it appropriate that they be brought within this scheme. I therefore cannot support this amendment.