Senate Question Time today Regarding the gas SAFETY BILL: The...

Senate Question Time today Regarding the gas SAFETY BILL: The government PULLED the Bill from going onto the Senate today. Seems they may have internal issues with Plibersek!:::

Senator McDONALD (Queensland) (14:56): My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for
Resources, Senator Farrell. Last week's Gas statement of opportunities highlighted an imminent risk of gas
shortfalls. Labor today voted against bringing its own legislation to the Senate despite having bipartisan support for
it from the coalition. You've thrown the offshore gas industry into uncertainty and caused further delay by blocking
your own legislation, despite claiming that this bill was urgent and desperately needed. What deal have you done
with the Greens for their votes?

Senator FARRELL (South Australia—Minister for Trade and Tourism, Special Minister of State and Deputy
Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:57): I thank the senator for her question. None

Senator McDONALD (Queensland) (14:58): It was revealed on Monday and today that the government threw
away bipartisan support for gas regulation changes and bowed to pressure to secure Green votes by giving the
environment minister another EPBC trigger. Labor is clearly divided. Which factual powerbrokers in Labor
supported the environment minister to overrule the resources minister?

Senator FARRELL (South Australia—Minister for Trade and Tourism, Special Minister of State and Deputy
Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:58): I thank the senator for her question. I'm not sure how to answer
that question, because there's nothing in your question that remotely resembles the truth or remotely resembles what
has been happening in this place. It's the combination of the Greens and the coalition which is stopping progress on
all of these things. Can I say this about Minister Madeleine King—
Government senators: A fine minister.
Senator FARRELL: A very fine minister. But, more importantly, resources and especially gas are in very safe
hands. From the time that your former government— (Time expired)
The PRESIDENT: Senator McDonald, second supplementary.
Senator McDONALD (Queensland) (14:59): The West Australian wrote, 'Thanks to the Labor Environment
Action Network complaining to Minister Plibersek and the Prime Minister, Minister King was embarrassingly
forced to change her own legislation.' It is clear that Minister King has been sidelined and the lean Green alliance
is now actually responsible for Labor's resources policy. When will you give up the charade and promote Mr Bandt
to cabinet?
Senator FARRELL (South Australia—Minister for Trade and Tourism, Special Minister of State and Deputy
Leader of the Government in the Senate) (15:00): Again, there's nothing in your question that resembles reality or
the truth of the situation. I can only repeat what I said in my previous answer, that we have one of the finest resources
ministers that this country has ever had.
Can I say this about gas, when was the first report that we had gas shortages? It was the year Tony Abbott became
the prime minister. And what has happened? What happened in those nine years? You did absolutely nothing about
securing gas supplies in this country.
We are doing something about that. We will do something about it and there is no better person to do it than
Madeleine King