Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm delighted to make a contribution on the Wine Australia Amendment (Label Directory) Bill 2019. Before doing so, I'm grateful to see Senator Ciccone here, who, just before question time and some other business in the Senate today, was reflecting on the quality and the wonderful wines that are produced in his home state of Victoria. It's also great that Senators Duniam and Brockman are in the chamber as well, because they herald from great wine states also—Tasmania, in Senator Duniam's case, and Western Australia, my home state, in the case of Senator Brockman. I think what differentiates Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia is not just that they produce wine but that they produce premium quality wines, which really have been able to showcase the strength of Australian agriculture not just here in Australia but internationally. I'll come to these remarks in a moment.

It's interesting that, in the last few years, lots of attention has been given to the sale of Australian produce to China. Senator Birmingham, the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, is today—this very day—and over the next few days in India supporting Australian trade opportunities. Of course, an important element of those is agriculture. An important subset of those agricultural opportunities is Australia's wine industry.

For the record, I think it's important, Senator Ciccone, that I let the Senate know what some of those great wine houses of Western Australia are. I see Senator Fawcett nodding in furious agreement. I know that he's a South Australian, but I'm sure he's tasted a few Western Australian wines in his time. I applaud the wonderful work that wine cellar doors like Vasse Felix in Western Australia, like Stormflower, like Voyager Estate, like Cullen Wines and like others do not just in providing employment opportunities for those working in the wine industry but in recognising just how important wine production is for the strength of regional economies in Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia. This is a point that, I think, is too often overlooked. When we think about the strength of the Margaret River region, the Peel region and other regions in our home state of Western Australia, we can't go past the fact that the strength of those regional economies is in part due to the consistency of the quality of wine production and the fact that these wine houses are so well managed.

In the debate that we had not such a long time ago, prior to the last election and in the term of the last government, there was quite an important debate that we had with regard to wine equalisation tax reform. Much of that was absolutely about the financial viability of wine producers in our country. Importantly, I think the element of the debate that informed and carried the government's position was when wine producers were able to talk about the importance of what the government does to assist wine production and, therefore, the importance that this brings to regional economies. That was a very, very important part of the debate that we had with regard to wine equalisation tax.

These are very interesting times for Australia's trade opportunities. Clearly the coronavirus is presenting some challenges, but at all times in this place we should be thinking about how we can continue to support those agricultural export industries that are doing well for our country, as well as thinking about what we can continue to do to continue to diversify those export opportunities for Australian producers.

To the substance of the matter, in 2017-18 Australia produced 1.7 million tonnes of wine grapes, consumed 492 million litres of wine and exported 866 million litres of wine. Australia's consumption of wine has been described as 19.7 litres per person in Australia, which equates to about 26 average bottles of wine per person per year. However, this is inclusive of the whole population, so the average for those of legal drinking age would be substantially larger.

Australia is the sixth-largest wine producer in the world and the fifth-largest wine exporter, with two-thirds of Australian wine exported, adding $2.89 billion to the Australian economy annually. The Morrison government is clearly committed to continuing to grow the Australian wine industry and all the benefits that accrue to this important part of our agricultural economy. We are delivering over $50 million worth of initiatives to grow Australia's wine exports and wine tourism in key markets, including targeted marketing campaigns in China and the United States of America and, importantly, capability development programs for our producers, wine export and international wine tourism grants, and a brand proposition and go-to-market strategy for Australian craft cider.

Australia's free trade agreements are delivering opportunities for Australian wine producers as well. An example of this is the recent Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or the CPTPP. Prior to the CPTPP, Australian wines exported to Mexico suffered a tariff of 20 per cent, competing against European Union, United States and Chilean wines, which have no tariffs. Since the announcement of the CPTPP, tariffs for high-quality wine have already fallen to a 6.6 per cent tariff and will fall to zero this year. That speaks of opportunity layered upon opportunity layered upon opportunity for wine producers and the economy that supports them.

This will provide a better competitive arrangement for Australian wine exporters in one of Latin America's fastest-growing economies. And the Morrison government is supporting the growth of Australian-grown wines and encouraging wine tourism in the Australian market through our $10 million per year Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grants program, which provides an annual grant of up to $100,000 for eligible wine producers in addition to the $350,000 available under the wine equalisation tax rebate scheme. And because Senator Duniam, from Tasmania, is the Assistant Minister for Regional Tourism and other matters, I want to put in a big plug. Senator Duniam, I wrote to you very recently arguing for some further reforms to cellar door grants that will not only support the Australian wine industry but also, as I've said before, support the regional economies in states like Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You are a very effective advocate, Senator.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll just amplify that. Senator Duniam just said that I'm a very effective advocate for Western Australia.

Senator Henderson interjecting—

Thank you, Senator Henderson. And if Senator Duniam had eyes at the back of his head he would have seen Senator Brockman sitting near me and would have added Senator Brockman's name as being a very strong and strident advocate for Western Australia's regional as well as broader interests.

I want to read into the record a statement that was made by the previous Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Senator Anne Ruston—again, from South Australia—when she announced the important wine equalisation tax reforms that were shepherded through the parliament by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the Turnbull government. These are important, because it is a very powerful sign—both a symbolic sign and a very powerful financial incentive that continued to motivate wine producers so that they could continue to export to those big nations like India, China and the United States and to Latin America. Her statement demonstrates, again, that the coalition government is not just interested in sporadic initiatives to support Australia's wine industry but is working to a cohesive and comprehensive plan. In the statement of December 2016, commenting on the coalition government's soon to be introduced enhancements to the wine equalisation tax rebate, Senator Ruston said:

These reforms come on the back of extensive consultation with the wine industry. The reforms are the result of industry calling for action to support our great Australian wine industry by addressing distortions in the market through the misuse and exploitation of the WET Rebate scheme.

Following a national consultation program with the wine industry as announced in the 2016 Budget, and led by Ministers Kelly O'Dwyer and Anne Ruston, we are pleased to announce key changes to the Government’s eligibility criteria to protect the integrity of the WET Rebate scheme …

Those integrity measures had three elements. Firstly, eligible producers must own 85 per cent of the grapes that the crusher used to make the wine and maintain ownership throughout the winemaking process. Secondly, the rebate was to be limited to branded, packaged wine in a container not exceeding five litres and branded with a registered trademark for domestic retail sale. Finally, the rebate claims must be better linked to the WET being paid.

Those new eligibility criteria came into effect from 1 July 2018. The rebate cap was also reduced from $500,000 to $350,000 effective from 1 July 2018, which was a year later than the original plan, but a demonstration that the government was able to and did listen to consultation from the industry. It was a higher cap than the one announced in the 2016 budget. The December 2016 statement said:

To encourage more wine tourism up to a further $100,000 per annum will be made available to producers who exceed the rebate cap through a new Wine Tourism and Cellar Door grant. Again the Government wants to back producers who add value and vibrancy to regional communities by encouraging visitors to wine regions. The eligibility criteria to qualify for the new grant will be finalised following consultation with the industry.

They were very important reforms. As Senator Ruston said in that media statement, they were the product of quite detailed, intense consultation processes. I want to applaud the quality wine industry in Western Australia and certainly in our home state, Senator Brockman, wines of Western Australia for the diligent work they did in making sure that the evidence was there to support these reforms. They are to be commended for their continued great stewardship of the Western Australia wine industry.

Specifically, this bill addresses concerns raised directly by the Australian wine industry after a number of instances of counterfeit Australian wine showing up in export markets, including 14,000 of fake Penfolds wine that was seized by Chinese police in Shanghai in 2017.

An important element of this bill is that it is supported by the industry. Tony Battaglene, chief executive of the organisation Australian Grape and Wine, had this to say:

… as Australia's fine-wine reputation has grown, so has the risk of fraud through intellectual property theft or passing-off. Australian wine business owners have needed to take additional steps to protect their brands and intellectual property in overseas markets, and increasingly, to invest in protection in Australia as well. This protection is costly and time-consuming for businesses, but the potential for damage to Australia's wine brand overseas means this action is necessary.

We commend the Minister for Agriculture, Senator the Hon. Bridget McKenzie, for backing Australia's wine businesses. We are delighted the Bill has been introduced and expect bipartisan support for this critical piece of legislation.

Whether that bipartisan support has been delivered upon we will see in the very near future in this chamber. But just as this bill addresses the concerns of the industry, I look forward to the government continuing to address and listen to the industry's views on a wide range of matters. As I alluded to before, I'm particularly keen for the government to pay attention to the industry's views about cellar-door rebate reform. In small and medium businesses, reducing uncertainty, particularly around cash flow, is vital to ensure the business can operate and even more important when the business is looking to grow to take up domestic and, importantly, international export opportunities.

The way the current rebate is managed, individual wineries make an application to receive a grant, with the grant paid up to 12 months after the end of the financial year. These wineries, many of which are small to medium businesses, are required to pay the 29 per cent wine equalisation tax to the ATO within 30 days of the sale of the wine. Therefore, if the wine is sold in July it can be nearly two years before the rebate on the cellar-door sale is received by the business. As you can imagine, this is a significant cash flow issue that needs to be managed carefully, and I'm sure it is one that the government is sensitive to. This matter is exacerbated by the total grant rebates being limited to just $10 million. It is therefore impossible to be certain how much a winery business will receive back from the grant process. Indeed, in its first year of operation winery businesses only received approximately 63 per cent of the grants they were expecting to be reimbursed because of over-subscription.

Just as the government has improved small business cash flow with initiatives to ensure payment from the federal government faster, there's a significant opportunity here, in this space, to ensure that wineries can access their rebates faster, support the growth of their business, generate local employment opportunities and make the most of those very, very generous free trade agreements that the coalition government and the trade ministers have been shepherding through this parliament. Importantly, it will ensure that the scheme provides a guaranteed amount and a guaranteed time frame, so that business can produce their cash flow budgets— (Time expired)

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to rise and speak on the Wine Australia Amendment (Label Directory) Bill 2019, and I want to commend the contribution of my good friend Senator Dean Smith and, of course, the government more generally on the many ways that we are supporting this very important industry across Australia. This bill concerns important measures to better protect the integrity of our wine exports so as so prevent copycat operators improperly using wine producers' intellectual property.

As we've heard and as we know, we have some of the very best wines in the world, and many of them are produced in my home state of Victoria. According to Wine Australia, Victoria is home to more regions and individual wineries than any other state in Australia. It also has the greatest diversity of regional and site climates, which allows for the production of virtually every imaginable wine style, from fine, sparkling wine, high-quality chardonnay and pinot noir, through to cabernet, shiraz and the fortified wines, which are particularly famous in the Rutherglen area. Of course, there are many famous winemaking regions in Victoria, including Beechworth, Mildura, the Pyrenees, the Yarra Valley and Gippsland—which is a fairly new area. In the home town where I am from, in the Geelong and Bellarine region, we have many wonderful vineyards, including Oakdean, Leura Park, Jack Rabbit, Clyde Park, Bannockburn, Austins, Terindah Estate—and the list goes on and on and on.

Senator Di Natale interjecting—

Senator Di Natalie, I will take the interjection. Do you want to add another winery that I've missed out?

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Blakes Estate.

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Blakes Estate. There is a very, very long list. In fact, in Victoria, would you believe, we have 499 cellar doors and 747 wineries producing 223 million litres, which is 17 per cent of the national production. That makes a $7.6 billion direct economic contribution.

As Senator Dean Smith pointed out in his contribution, another essential point to note is the importance of our wine industry for regional communities—because, of course, it's not just about the growers; it's also about the supply chain. The supply chain includes the vineyards and the wineries but also the marketers, the brokers, the contract bottlers, freight and logistics operations, input suppliers in vineyard and winemaking, pruning and harvesting contractors, retailers and professional advisers—so right the whole way through, whether it is in agricultural production, viticulture, business management or tourism. So this is a really important industry.

I might just add that when I was a reporter with the ABC many years ago I had the great joy of working for a short time on a program called Holiday, where we would travel the country trying out different wines. I have to say that the Victorian wines are the best—but that might be a point that might be contended by some of my colleagues here in the chamber.

Australia is the sixth-largest wine producer in the world and the fifth-largest wine exporter. We now export two-thirds of all wine produced, which is an amazing figure in itself, adding $2.89 billion to the economy per year. As at September 2019, Australian wine exports to China, including Hong Kong and Macau, reached a record value of $1.25 billion, an increase of 18 per cent. That, to a large degree, has been underpinned by the work of our free trade agreements.

The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect in 2015, eliminated the existing tariffs on wine of 14 to 20 per cent. They are completely gone now. They went as of 1 January 2019. Our free trade agreements are playing a very significant role in the success of our wine industry, with the total value of Australian wine exports increasing by seven per cent in value to the $2.89 billion mark. The China market occupies a very large proportion of this export figure. This is incredible growth, which, of course, presents wonderful opportunities for our grapegrowers and our wine producers.

The continuing success of Australian wine exports depends on the maintenance of our internationally recognised reputation for quality and integrity, and that is supported by Wine Australia's regulatory activities. The Australian wine industry, represented by Australian Grape and Wine Incorporated, came to the government, asking for stronger regulatory controls to deter the export of copycat wine from Australia. Copycat wine and other grape product exports are products that are exported from Australia with labels which seek to mimic elements of Australian brands for commercial gain and unfairly benefit from the reputation of those brands. A label directory was proposed by the industry as a useful way to assist brand owners to protect their intellectual property rights and, of course, by extension, the reputation of Australian wine.

The really important element of the concerns raised by the industry is that our government listened. We listened to the industry, to the businesses right across this nation, and we are now taking action to better protect this important industry, to ensure that we back these businesses in—because it's tough yakka. If you consider what the wine growers in the bushfire impacted regions of South Australia, Victoria and NSW have had to deal with, their businesses have been hit for six. It is really tough, and it can be particularly tough and unpredictable in agriculture. So, whenever agricultural businesses reach out for support, we are there, the government is there, to listen and to ensure that our reputation as a pre-eminent exporter of agricultural produce is second to none.

This bill will enable a label directory to be established as part of Wine Australia's export controls. It's a very important deterrent to exporters of wine and other great products who seek to unfairly benefit from the reputation of Australian brands. The label directory will provide brand owners with a searchable database of images of labels that can be used to find labels that potentially infringe their intellectual property rights and enable them to undertake civil action against copycat exporters through the Australian legal system.

The bill will also enable Wine Australia to use the label directory in administering licences to export under the Wine Australia Regulations 2018. For instance, Wine Australia can use the images of the labels submitted to it to confirm that wine exporters are complying with their obligations under the Label Integrity Program, which is set out in the act. Of course, this could also be used as evidence of copycat labelling, and that will assist Wine Australia's ongoing assessment as to whether a wine exporter can be considered a fit and proper person who may hold a licence to export wine from Australia.

The other important aspect of the bill is that the amendments to the Wine Australia Act 2013 made by the bill will enable Wine Australia to impose additional requirements on wine exporters as a condition of approval to export grape products from Australia. The bill allows for regulations to be made that would result in a whole lot of additional protections. This is really important because our reputation as a clean and green producer of first-class agricultural produce is incredibly precious to us as a nation. This is a very important measure in protecting the integrity of a vitally important industry. The label directory will provide additional protection, but, as I say, it also demonstrates that our government is continuing to listen to small business and that is very, very important.

We want to make sure that when our businesses go out on the world stage they have every competitive advantage so that they can showcase their produce at its very, very best. I might say, as a former intellectual property lawyer myself, I recognise how important the protection of one's intellectual property is, whether it's designs, whether it's fashion, whether it's software or, in this case, whether it's the integrity of our wine that we produce in Australia. It is incredibly important to do everything we can to protect the integrity of our produce, including our agricultural produce. I commend this bill to the Senate.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to rise and conclude the debate on this bill, the Wine Australia Amendment (Label Directory) Bill 2019. In doing so, I want to be bold: I'd like to say that every state and territory in Australia produces the best wine in Australia! We're going to spread the love around and acknowledge that this country produces the best wine. We have a resilient industry, one that works hard with all the challenges that are thrown up to it. I look forward to constructive discussions with all parties around the challenges that this industry faces.

I do want to acknowledge the efforts of the former minister for agriculture, Bridget McKenzie, in coming up with this bill and working with industry assiduously to ensure that its needs have been heard and met through this legislation.

Turning to the bill, the wine export label directory, as being debated at present, can be established by Wine Australia through the passing of this legislation to assist brand owners in this country to protect their intellectual property rights, which, as we've heard constantly throughout this debate, are incredibly important when it comes to the investment made by estate owners and those employed within the industry. By supporting brand owners to better protect their intellectual property rights this bill will ensure consumers can be confident that they will be getting a safe and quality product and that what it says on the label on the bottle is what they're actually going to get. This additional control will assist in safeguarding the reputation of Australia's growing wine export market that directly employs over 69,000 Australians and is worth nearly $3 billion—$2.91 billion—per year to the economy, which is a tremendous input, largely in regional economies across this country.

The label directory will be a public-facing, online database of all Australian wine labels for export that can be used by wine brand owners to search for copycat labels out there in the marketplace. Industry asked for a label directory to better protect their intellectual property rights from potential copycat exporters who seek to take advantage of the good name of Australian brands overseas—again, examples of which we have heard multiple times in this debate.

While Wine Australia's role doesn't extend to regulating intellectual property rights, this bill will assist wine brand owners to better protect their own interests, which, as already discussed, is exactly what industry have been asking for. With the Wine Australia Amendment (Label Directory) Bill 2019 we are adding one more tool to Wine Australia's export controls toolkit. The bill will make maintaining the label directory part of Wine Australia's existing export controls to deter exporters of wine and other grape products who seek to mimic Australian brands for commercial gain. This bill is important to Australia's wine exporters as well as the wine industry more broadly. It ensures that Wine Australia is equipped with appropriate regulatory mechanisms for maintaining Australia's reputation for quality and integrity in a growing international market for Australian wine.

The matter of smoke taint and the impact on wine grapes was canvassed extensively, and it is safe to say that this industry, like many others in this country, did not escape the ravages of the bushfires. Fires across the country have impacted on vineyards, on wineries, on genetic stock and on plant equipment right throughout our wine regions. Around 1,500 hectares of vineyards have fallen within the current fire affected regions, which is roughly one per cent of Australia's vineyards. The Australian government is supporting those small cellar door businesses and winegrape growers to get back to business quickly with the grants of up to $50,000 and $75,000 respectively. These small business and primary producer grants are already paying out, helping to replace burnt trellising and melted irrigation pipes and helping with the heartbreaking cleanout of burnt vines, which we have heard about during this debate. What a terrible impact that has been.

Our Australian wine industry is a key drawcard for regional tourism—something that I'm very passionate about—which has also taken a hit over summer. A wine tour through our regional cellar doors is a highlight for both domestic and international tourists who come to taste our quality wines in our beautiful bush. We've of course got the Australian government's $76 million tourism marketing push—the money that's being invested in international marketing, partnering up with private entities, airlines, and our major hotel chains—and $20 million for our Holiday Here This Year campaign, where we are partnering with states and territories to encourage Australians to do just that: take a trip through our beautiful wine-growing districts and spend time and money to support these small to medium businesses and of course, keep these people employing locals in their community, which is so critically important to regional economies. Wine tourism is a critically important part of our regional tourism industry, and it is something that this bill and other measures being taken by this government go a long way to support.

With the reports of smoke reaching vines far from fire fronts, this season's bushfires have highlighted the real anxiety and threat smoke brings to Australian vineyards. Smoke from bushfires, prescribed burns and farm burn-offs carries a risk that winegrapes may be affected by the free volatile phenols that are produced when wood is burned. However, research has shown that, just because smoke may be visible or able to be smelt, it doesn't necessarily mean that there's a high risk of smoke affecting the grapes. Grapes at a certain point of ripening which are exposed to smoke of a particular age and composition can produce aromas in wine which may be offensive to some wine consumers. This resulting smoke taint has long been an issue of concern for the industry, and it's a problem that's unique to the wine industry. Smoke taint can result in downgrades of fruit and the resultant wine and in losses and unharvested fruit, so it's important to the wine and winegrape industry to have the best means to measure, manage and mitigate smoke taint.

Since coming into government in 2013, the government has invested nearly $79 million in matched funding for the Australian wine industry's research and development priorities through Wine Australia. Additionally, for smoke taint specifically, the government has provided $1.466 million in funding for research projects through the Rural Research and Development for Profit program, matched by research partners in Victoria. This smoke research project has been generating knowledge, innovative technologies and processes that directly benefit grapegrowers and winemakers. Findings from the project are already being implemented through the Australian Wine Research Institute's extension services. The program includes face-to-face workshops and webinars for grapegrowers and winemakers on how to manage fire damage and smoke taint and is going to be delivered by the Australian Wine Research Institute in consultation with regional wine associations and major winemakers. Workshops have already been held in the Adelaide Hills and the Hunter Valley, Canberra, Orange, Mudgee, Milawa, Tumbarumba, Griffith, the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and the Barossa Valley, with more than 1,000 wine industry participants, funded by the government through Wine Australia.

Of course, we have a local example in Tasmania. Only a couple of weeks ago, I visited Hartzview vineyards which was impacted by the fires in the summer of 2018-19, just south of Hobart in the Huon Valley. I met with the proprietors there and talked with them about what they were doing to manage the smoke taint that impacted on their vineyard. They've been partnering with La Trobe University and looking at innovative ways to deal with fruit that was impacted by smoke, and they are sharing with others in the industry in that region the learnings they've taken from the work they've done with the La Trobe University. There are some very exciting things coming out of it. Obviously it's always better to avoid it, but these tools that they are going to be provided with for dealing with smoke taint, I think, give us cause for hope.

Of course, winemaking is a long process, and any smoke taint in this year's crop won't be in the wine coming onto the market in the near future. In the meantime, Australia's agriculture counsellors are working alongside Wine Australia to facilitate provision of accurate information in wine export markets about the impacts of the bushfires and to provide assurance of the continuing high quality of Australian wine.

Just going to the second reading amendment that's been proposed by the opposition and that was moved by Senator Sterle earlier on, I believe the Australian government has an extensive agenda and has made a significant investment in climate resilience and adaptation. Our resilience and adaptation investments produce practical actions that will keep Australians safe and prepared for the future. The government is taking the impacts of a changing climate on the wine industry seriously. The Australian government has provided more than $78.9 million, as I've already mentioned, in matched funding since November 2013 for the wine industry's R&D priorities through our entity Wine Australia.

Wine companies across Australia are implementing measures to mitigate the potential impact of the changing climate on their industry, because it's economic to do so. Examples exist in the area of water-saving techniques, the use of alternative packaging like glass and PET bottles, reducing refrigeration loads and, of course, extra planting of trees, which act as carbon sinks. The wine industry's use of nitrogen fertiliser, which can create the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide when added to soil, is very tactical and targeted and contributes very little to the overall nitrous oxide emissions levels. But the future impacts of climate change on the wine sector may not be as dramatic as has been described by some. A four-year study in shiraz vineyards around Mildura in 2018 suggests that, for that region at least, increased temperatures and levels of CO2 do not have a significant impact on grape yield or quality. This and many other research projects were completed with funding from the government.

The government, through Wine Australia, is investing $5.4 million over the next three years in climate change adaptation and mitigation research and development projects. Wine Australia has also successfully completed a number of research projects to improve the wine industry's climate resilience, such as developing irrigation strategies and understanding the impacts of elevated carbon dioxide on wine grapes.

Additionally, for smoke taint specifically, as I've already mentioned, the government has provided nearly $1½ million in funding to a research project through the Rural Research and Development for Profit program, matched by research partners in Victoria. This smoke research project has been generating knowledge and innovative technologies and processes to directly benefit grapegrowers and winemakers, and the findings of these projects are already being implemented right throughout the industry. Investing in this vital research will provide the wine industry with the tools they need to grapple with a changing and more variable climate and increasing severe weather events such as drought and bushfires. So we oppose the second reading amendment but do indeed commend this bill to the Senate.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the second reading amendment moved by Senator Sterle be agreed to. A division has been called for. Considering the hour, that division will be deferred to later this evening.

Debate adjourned.