Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Nash for the questions. I will help her to the extent I can based on the advice I have been given. There was this debate about common practice, but, as I understand it, common practice will be identified by a process which will see the government release guidelines. As I understand it, that process will involve stakeholder consultation. That will reflect the fact that what is common practice will be different industry to industry and region to region—that is recognised. So there is not a sense of a national common practice but common practice which reflects what occurs in that industry in that region, noting that the regions have different characteristics. As I understand it, it would be a question of a stakeholder process which would then be verified, if you like, but what I am told is called DOIC—the Domestic Offsets Integrity Committee, fondly known as DOIC—which will have expert and scientific input. Then the government will issue guidelines for interested parties.

I think part of your concern, Senator, was about a national common practice and how we work out what the common practice is. It is very much envisaged to be a process that reflects the different industries and regions and also reflects input from stakeholders about what that practice is, and it will then be verified by DOIC. It is designed to be able to identify common practice with enough specificity to reflect regions and industry. The process will seek to identify that by consultation with stakeholders, with verification from those with expertise and a scientific background. As I understand it, that is how we will get to a guideline which establishes common practice.