Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I have a number of specific questions, because we are in the committee stage of this particular set of bills, and we now have a gag on it, thanks to the government, with the support of the Palmer United Party. I want to ask some very specific questions. I asked Senator Cormann last night how much of the five per cent emissions reduction target was expected to be delivered by the Emissions Reduction Fund. The government still has not responded to that. It is important that they do, because there are certain senators in here who have said they will not support the abolition of the existing emissions trading scheme unless there is something better in its place. Therefore, we need to have the government say exactly what they expect their Emissions Reduction Fund to do.

I also have some other specific questions for the minister and I will go to those now. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency, ARENA, and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation were secured by the Greens through the negotiations with the former government to develop the Clean Energy Package. The allocation of funds for ARENA was in the legislation. The abolition legislation is to come here later, but the schedule to gut the funding from ARENA is part of these bills.

I understand that an agreement has been reached with the Palmer United Party to take millions out of the ARENA funding and support the government's schedule. I find it extraordinary that we do not have a single member of the Palmer United Party here, in the committee stage, when they have an amendment that I would like some answers to. I would like to know why or whether they are going to support an emissions trading scheme, as their leader has said. But I understand they have abandoned this debate on getting rid of the emissions trading scheme—and returning millions to the pockets of Mr Palmer—to go and launch a report on renewable energy. We love renewable energy, and I am very grateful for the fact—

The CHAIRMAN: Senator Macdonald on a point of order.