❓ Opposition questions the Minister for Mines and Petroleum about a CO2 injection levy mentioned in a departmental strategy, which the Minister claims was an error. The Minister defends the government's position on carbon capture and storage, highlighting past government actions.
AnsweredQoN 873Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CARBON CAPTURE —
LEVY
873. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I note that the Department of
Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety recently announced its Towards
2029 strategy, which lists the implementation of a CO 2 injection
levy as a priority.
(1) If, as the
minister claims, there are no plans to introduce a CO 2 injection
levy, why was such a significant policy listed as a departmental focus for 2024–25?
(2) Can the
minister guarantee that no new taxes or levies targeting the Western Australian
mining and resources sector are being considered behind closed doors by
officers of the minister's department?
LEVY
873. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I note that the Department of
Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety recently announced its Towards
2029 strategy, which lists the implementation of a CO 2 injection
levy as a priority.
(1) If, as the
minister claims, there are no plans to introduce a CO 2 injection
levy, why was such a significant policy listed as a departmental focus for 2024–25?
(2) Can the
minister guarantee that no new taxes or levies targeting the Western Australian
mining and resources sector are being considered behind closed doors by
officers of the minister's department?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. On the last one, the Premier has already
made that commitment many times now, so that is that one answered. In terms of
the document that was on the department's website, it was an error, and the department has acknowledged that it
was an error. All departments look at things, as it did some time ago
when considering whether or not to introduce such things. This government took
a conscious decision with the introduction of the Petroleum Legislation
Amendment Bill 2023 to not put that into the bill. It was something that was
accidentally included but has now been removed from the website.
I want to look at who considered
those things in the past, especially regarding carbon capture and storage. As a government—the former minister is over
there, having introduced some legislation to enable it— we think carbon capture and storage will be a wonderful
and really important industry for Western Australia. Given our geology
and our know-how of doing big projects and what the oil and gas industry has
done for decades in Western Australia, we have an opportunity to help
decarbonise the globe. We know that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change has said that carbon capture and storage is not a silver bullet but is
incredibly important for the globe to decarbonise. We have an opportunity to
help the globe with those ambitions.
I had a look at Hansard , and
when Bill introduced the legislation —
Several members interjected.
Mr D.R. MICHAEL : Sorry, that
is the wrong Bill; I was referring to former minister Bill Marmion. I looked at Hansard and saw that the former government introduced legislation in
2013 to allow for carbon capture and storage. That bill was declared an urgent
bill in this house straight after the 2013 state election. I think there were
10 urgent bills, and it was one of those that was put through urgently, in a day
or so. The former minister is also mentioned in Hansard when he asked
some questions. At that time, Minister Marmion put the bill through and during
the consideration in detail stage, he said —
� we are looking at moving petroleum
and geothermal into the same regime as the mining industry so that they will
actually pay a levy to cover any rehabilitation works.
We know where these issues came from. They came from the
former government in discussions regarding that bill. Former Minister Johnston,
the member for Cannington, introduced a bill into this place. We went through
the consideration in detail stage of that bill with the opposition and passed
it to allow for carbon capture and storage and the transportation of those
materials and naturally occurring hydrogen. When I became minister, I talked to
the member for Cannington and I know that former government introduced an
urgent bill in 2013. It went to the upper house after its passage in this house
with the support of the then opposition, which was the Labor Party. It is
bizarre because everyone assumed that it had passed because it was declared
urgent. It passed in this house within in a day or so and some people thought
that it had gone through, but I had a look and worked out that it still had not
passed by the time Parliament was prorogued in 2016. That is how much the
opposition cares about carbon capture and storage.
thank the member for the question. On the last one, the Premier has already
made that commitment many times now, so that is that one answered. In terms of
the document that was on the department's website, it was an error, and the department has acknowledged that it
was an error. All departments look at things, as it did some time ago
when considering whether or not to introduce such things. This government took
a conscious decision with the introduction of the Petroleum Legislation
Amendment Bill 2023 to not put that into the bill. It was something that was
accidentally included but has now been removed from the website.
I want to look at who considered
those things in the past, especially regarding carbon capture and storage. As a government—the former minister is over
there, having introduced some legislation to enable it— we think carbon capture and storage will be a wonderful
and really important industry for Western Australia. Given our geology
and our know-how of doing big projects and what the oil and gas industry has
done for decades in Western Australia, we have an opportunity to help
decarbonise the globe. We know that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change has said that carbon capture and storage is not a silver bullet but is
incredibly important for the globe to decarbonise. We have an opportunity to
help the globe with those ambitions.
I had a look at Hansard , and
when Bill introduced the legislation —
Several members interjected.
Mr D.R. MICHAEL : Sorry, that
is the wrong Bill; I was referring to former minister Bill Marmion. I looked at Hansard and saw that the former government introduced legislation in
2013 to allow for carbon capture and storage. That bill was declared an urgent
bill in this house straight after the 2013 state election. I think there were
10 urgent bills, and it was one of those that was put through urgently, in a day
or so. The former minister is also mentioned in Hansard when he asked
some questions. At that time, Minister Marmion put the bill through and during
the consideration in detail stage, he said —
� we are looking at moving petroleum
and geothermal into the same regime as the mining industry so that they will
actually pay a levy to cover any rehabilitation works.
We know where these issues came from. They came from the
former government in discussions regarding that bill. Former Minister Johnston,
the member for Cannington, introduced a bill into this place. We went through
the consideration in detail stage of that bill with the opposition and passed
it to allow for carbon capture and storage and the transportation of those
materials and naturally occurring hydrogen. When I became minister, I talked to
the member for Cannington and I know that former government introduced an
urgent bill in 2013. It went to the upper house after its passage in this house
with the support of the then opposition, which was the Labor Party. It is
bizarre because everyone assumed that it had passed because it was declared
urgent. It passed in this house within in a day or so and some people thought
that it had gone through, but I had a look and worked out that it still had not
passed by the time Parliament was prorogued in 2016. That is how much the
opposition cares about carbon capture and storage.
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