Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

The purpose of the bill is to enable the Commonwealth environment minister to take into account significant impacts of coal seam gas and large coal-mining developments on a water resource—that is, the bill provides for a water trigger. There are a range of amendments being proposed on a range of issues. The government does not support amendments that would broaden the scope of this bill. The proposed amendments are very broad. The government advice is that, because these amendments are so broad, they carry a high level of constitutional risk. I move:

That the question be now put.

The CHAIRMAN: The question is that the question now be put.

The CHAIRMAN: Senator Waters, you asked that we divide separately on the three remaining blocks of amendments, which were taken together by leave. I see no need to divide the question as the government and the opposition during the course of the debate have indicated that they will be voting against. So, unless the Greens have a different position on any of the amendments, I intend to put them all as one block.