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

Thanks for the question, Senator Whish-Wilson. I don't pretend to be an expert in the scientific literature around geotech. However, I can tell you that questions around risk are actively addressed by the framework that's put in place by the London protocol, and that, of course, is the purpose of this bill—to ensure that, should a project of this kind be brought forward, there would be a regulatory standard against which these risks could be assessed. Under the protocol, the assessment framework requires an environmental impact analysis, and that, in turn, 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 CO2, assessment of potential effects, and monitoring and risk management.