Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) The Minister supports the proposed variations.

(2) The status of the Snowy Scientific Committee is not relevant to these variations. Under its governing legislation, (Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Act 1997, NSW), it is not a function of the Snowy Scientific Committee to comment on any proposed variation to the Snowy Water Licence.

(3) Transferring control of the RMIF account to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder would not in itself change the regulatory regime which governs the release of Above Target Water held in Snowy Scheme storages.