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

Senator Hanson, from your question I think that you are asking about projects that occur in Australian waters. You're concerned about impacts on Australian waters. I indicated earlier in the debate that the government has initiated a review to ensure that the regulatory regime for offshore CCS projects manages risks to the marine environment and to workforce health and safety. Amongst other things, the review will examine opportunities to provide greater regulatory and administrative certainty and efficiency for carbon capture and storage projects in Commonwealth waters. I raise this because the bill before us deals only with carbon dioxide. That is the scope of the matters considered by the London protocol. But you are raising questions about other environmental impacts associated with offshore activities. I am pointing you to other work that's going on elsewhere in government in relation to ensuring we have a comprehensive and robust regulatory arrangement for offshore sequestration.