Commonwealth of Australia Explanatory Memoranda

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GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK AND OTHER LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL 2008

                                         2008



       THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA



                                       SENATE



  GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK AND OTHER LEGISLATION
                  AMENDMENT BILL 2008


             SUPPLEMENTARY EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM


               Amendments to be Moved on Behalf of the Government


 (Circulated by authority of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts,
                        the Honourable Peter Garrett AM MP)



EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENT

1. Item 1 inserts a definition of geological storage operations and is required as a
   consequence of Items 2 - 5.

2. Items 2 - 5 establish a prohibition on the geological storage of greenhouse gases
   in the Great Barrier Reef Region. Currently, mining and drilling is prohibited in
   the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975
   section 38) and Region (Great Barrier Reef (Prohibition of Mining) Regulations
   1999). This prohibition was established before geological storage of greenhouse
   gases was contemplated. The Australian Government does not intend allowing
   greenhouse gas storage in the Great Barrier Reef. This amendment provides
   clarity and certainty regarding this position. The prohibition is achieved by
   extending the current prohibition on mining operations also to include "geological
   storage operations".