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

My question is to the Leader of the Government, representing the Prime Minister. Today it's reported that five of the six COVID commissioners, who are advising how to rebuild after the pandemic, have refused to make public their declarations about conflicts of interest. The members of the manufacturing task force of the COVID commission don't even have to disclose their conflicts of interest to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Yet, one of the members, James Fazzino, not only is a director of APA Group but holds around $350,000 worth of their shares. That company will build the pipeline to the Narrabri gas fields. Guess what? The tasks force strongly recommends that that very gas pipeline be supported by government. Will the Prime Minister now require the financial interests of all task force members to be disclosed, or do you not even care any more about how in the pocket of the coal, oil and gas industry the government is?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I completely reject that final assertion which is wrong and which is offensive. Furthermore, the members of the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission are distinguished Australians. The Prime Minister expects them, of course, to manage any conflicts appropriately and we're very confident that they will.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, a supplementary question?

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

Firefighters with decades of experience working around the Narrabri coal seam site in the Pilliga forest are terrified of the increased fire risk from gas flaring, particularly as climate change dries the surrounding bush, while farmers are terrified of the 850 wells that threaten their water supplies in the Great Artesian Basin. Will you listen to them or to Santos, because they've donated more than half a million dollars to the Liberal and National parties?

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, partly because of the almost disorderly imputation towards the end, I'm going to give the minister an opportunity to respond to that claim you made. That is outside what I would interpret to be a supplementary question of a traditional nature, because I couldn't hear of a particular link of it to the first question. I will give the minister an opportunity to respond, given the claim you made and the assertion you made at the end.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We get used to these outrageous statements from that corner of the chamber, sadly, in more recent times. I miss Senator Di Natale being in the front chair, I have to say. Having rejected the offensive assertion at the end, the supplementary question which is not a supplementary question is based on the assumption that we have made certain decisions, which we haven't made, in relation to considerations, which either haven't been finalised or haven't been put forward even to government. You're getting way ahead of yourself. And in getting ahead of yourself you're being incredibly inappropriate in the way that you are making imputations against the government.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, a final supplementary question?

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

This question is also about gas and donations. Greenhouse gas emissions from gas extraction have grown 73 per cent in the last five years. Over the same time there have been three major bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef. Gas is toxic for our climate. Do you prioritise a handful of jobs for your donors or countless species and the 60,000 Queenslanders and Australians who rely on a healthy Great Barrier Reef for their livelihoods?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(—) (): I'll tell you what we prioritise, we prioritise the national interest. We prioritise the public interest. We prioritise jobs. We prioritise opportunity for Australians to get ahead. You know what, we're doing so in a way that is absolutely committed to strong environmental protection, strong environmental standards, but we will ensure that we pursue environmental protection in a way that is economically responsible. You are, sort of, now trying to say that gas is a terrible thing. Australian gas can help reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, in particular when it displaces other more polluting energy sources. This proposition that somehow we ought to demonise any form of Australian produced energy source is ridiculous. You go to the next election demonising gas production when it's one of our very important sectors in our economy, making a productive and positive contribution to environmental protection. You go right ahead. We will— (Time expired)