Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Pocock, the short answer to that question is, 'At this stage, no,' because, as I was indicating to you, this is merely the first legislative step in establishing a framework within which any decision could be taken. There are at least two important decisions that would need to be taken before any export was permitted. The first is that a bilateral agreement of some kind would need to be established between Australia and a country to which an export might take place. The second thing would be to then assess an application for a permit under the protocol for such an export. In assessing a permit, the department would utilise the London protocol assessment framework.

The environmental impact assessment must include but is not limited to a long-term management plan, a geological assessment and marine characterisation of the disposal site, an impact and risk assessment, a mitigation and remediation plan, a description of potential impacts on any matters of national environmental significance, a waste prevention audit, waste management options, chemical and physical properties of the carbon dioxide, an assessment of potential effects, and monitoring and risk management. So, Senator Pocock, you are right to point to the possibility of risks arising. That's why this framework matters, because it puts in place the legislative basis that would allow Australia to assess a project of this kind in a way that is consistent with the international agreement.