John Madigan (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senators Xenophon, Leyonhjelm, Day, Muir, Lazarus, Lambie and Wang move:

That—

(a) the Senate notes:

(i) the President's report to the Senate on government responses outstanding to parliamentary committee reports as at 1 December 2015, listed the report of the Select Committee on Wind Turbines among the reports the government has failed to respond to within the required 3 month timeframe, and

(ii) the Government still has not provided a formal response to the committee's report, although it has been some 7 months since the report was tabled; and

(b) there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment (Senator Birmingham), no later than 3.30 pm on 10 May 2016, a copy of the government's response to the report of the Select Committee on Wind Turbines, dated August 2015.

Scott Ryan (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Scott Ryan (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government opposes the motion. The government's response to the committee's report is being finalised and will be tabled in due course.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Greens do not subscribe to the discredited theory of wind farm syndrome and we did not support the establishment of the inquiry by crossbench senators to further sabotage the clean energy industry. Spending further public funds researching non-existent diseases while completely failing to regulate the well-documented harm from air pollution from coal fired power stations is foolish. However, the Greens do support this motion on the principle that all Senate inquiry reports deserve a response in a timely fashion from the government.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that general business notice of motion no. 1156 be agreed to.