Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Resources, Senator Farrell. What is the precise process and time line the Albanese Labor government will now apply to determining a site for the long-term storage of Australia's low-level radioactive waste?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Birmingham for his question. As he would know, the difficult issue of finding a site for holding, in particular, low-level nuclear waste has been a perplexing issue for a very, very long period of time. The issue, of course, was raised first, as I recall—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Farrell, please resume your seat. Senator Birmingham.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, this was a very narrow question with no preamble. The precise subject matter of this question was about the process and time line the Albanese Labor government will now apply. It made no historical references, no references to past decisions. It was a question only looking forward and, knowing how long it takes this minister to answer questions, I would invite you to draw him to the question immediately.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Birmingham. I remind—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Order! Leaders are given some licence—Order across the chamber!—but I will call Minister Farrell to your question, Senator Birmingham. Minister Farrell.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister King has obviously had some very difficult issues to resolve. She confirmed this morning in the House that the government will not appeal the decision in respect of the judicial review that took place of the selection site of Kimba in South Australia. She has instructed her department to develop a policy option for managing Commonwealth radioactive waste into the future. This policy development is ongoing. Minister King said she—

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's reassuring!

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, you didn't figure fix it. All those nine years, Senator Birmingham, you had an opportunity to fix it and you did not. You didn't fix the problem, and you've left it to us to fix, and Madeleine King—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Farrell! Order! I'm waiting for silence before I call the minister. Minister Farrell.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madeleine King has been left with the job, like so many other ministers—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Farrell, resume your seat. Order! Minister Farrell.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, President, for that protection. Like so many other issues, for nine years—nine years you had to fix this problem, and you left us in a situation—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Farrell, thank you. I'm waiting for silence before I call Senator Birmingham. Senator Birmingham, first supplementary?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese government has taken the weak and irresponsible path of junking years of work to resolve a decades' long impasse on where to store Australia's low-level radioactive waste. If the government didn't want to appeal the court decision regarding the Napandee site near Kimba, why didn't it legislate a remedy to address the court decision and allow the Napandee site to proceed as planned and on time?

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order across the chamber! Minister Farrell.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Birmingham for his first supplementary question. If this issue was so simple, in the nine years that you had to deal with it you would have solved the problem, and you didn't. Why do we have this issue now? We have this issue right now because under judicial review a determination was made to overturn the site on Kimba.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You've got a right of appeal, Don!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Farrell, resume your seat.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You should challenge it!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Scar! Senator Wong! Senator Scarr, your voice has been the loudest so far. I would invite you to make a contribution on the issue at some other time. Chiming in at question time is not the time. Minister Farrell.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There's been a court decision. That decision has been in favour of the Barngarla people. The government, particularly Minister King, understands fully the need to deal with this serious issue, but she was left in this situation because of the mishandling— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Birmingham, second supplementary?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If Labor can't manage to decide where to store gloves used in nuclear medicine procedures, how can anyone have confidence that it can manage the difficult decisions that are going to be required to deliver nuclear submarines under the AUKUS agreement? Isn't it the truth that this change of policy at this time to junk the Napandee site is just another example of appeasing the left-wing factions ahead of the national conference next week and putting Labor's internal divisions ahead of addressing the national interest?

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I'm not calling the minister until there's silence. Minister Farrell.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I thank Senator Birmingham for his second supplementary question. Well, if I were you, Senator Birmingham, I wouldn't be talking about internal party factions because I can see Senator Antic up the back there, I can see Senator Ruston, and who else? Senator Fawcett. If you think that this has anything to do with internal factions, think again. You're the party that's bitterly divided. You're the party—

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Minister Farrell, resume your seat.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Don, what number were you on the ticket?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cash, you do not have the call. I'm waiting for silence. I have your leader on his feet. Senator Birmingham.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, these are issues around nuclear waste, related to—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is this a point of order?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

a decade-long problem around nuclear waste—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Birmingham, is this a point of order?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

related to AUKUS, and now we've got—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Birmingham! I called you three times. Are you calling for a point of order?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order relates to direct relevance, President. The question goes to the serious issues around the long-term issues of storing nuclear waste related to AUKUS—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Birmingham, please resume your seat. I will respond. In your question, Senator Birmingham, there was a preamble. It went to the waste, it went to submarines and it went to factions and internal issues within the Labor Party. The minister is being directly relevant. Minister Farrell, please continue.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, President. If there's any government that's going to be capable of delivering on the AUKUS nuclear submarines for South Australia, it's this government.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks to Mike Rann, you didn't!

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I can remember exactly what Mike Rann did, but who introduced the act that started the process to finalise this? It was Labor. (Time expired)