Rex Patrick (SA, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. In effect, you're indicating that you have done some work. You've looked at what the Europeans have done, and I thank you for clarifying that situation. Maybe this can be taken on notice if you don't know the answer, or you can perhaps come back to the chamber. Having looked at the differences, we can see there's clearly a reason why they have taken a different pathway. The sensible thing in this circumstance, I imagine—and I know you try to do your work as diligently as possible—would be to examine, perhaps, the jurisdictional issues, the bounds in which the claims may get made and all of those sorts of things that the Europeans are doing slightly differently, no doubt from lessons learned. They have had a number of ISDS cases brought against them, so they have, perhaps, more experience. I ask whether or not you could give some advice as to what their motives were, what they're trying to do with this new arrangement and, indeed, why we don't think those new arrangements would be applicable for Australia.