Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I think that the minister has just articulated that they have, in fact. The minister did meet requirements of recommendation 5, which was:

… that the Australian Government continue to consult with the relevant state and territory governments on the possibility of national legislation to mandate the supply of low aromatic fuel …

As I understood it, the minister just articulated that that has been happening.

We will also be supporting the amendments that the government has moved around that additional requirement for further consultation. However, Minister, I am concerned that that would be an endless consultation process. I understand that the minister would then put a time frame on that process because otherwise we end up in, 'we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna,' and we never do, which is what we have been seeing for the last seven years. So there needs to be a commitment that there would be a time frame put on that.

We would also like to say that if the Northern Territory volatile substances legislation were useful as it stands, then surely governments would have used it? I understood from the Senate inquiry that the current legislation does not address this particular issue and that there is also concern that if one state dealt with bringing in legislation—as happened with Urandangi across the border in Queensland—and Queensland decides not to do anything that you cannot deal with that issue either. There is clearly a need for this national approach.