Senator JACINTA COLLINS (Victoria—Manager of Government Business in the Senate and Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) (15:38): I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move: That the provisions of paragraphs (5) to (8) of standing order 111 not apply to the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Compliance Measures No.2) Bill 2013, allowing it to be considered during this period of sittings. I also table a statement of reasons justifying the need for this bill to be considered during these sittings and seek leave to have the statement incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The statement read as follows— STATEMENT OF REASONS FOR INTRODUCTION AND PASSAGE IN THE 2013 AUTUMN SITTINGS OFFSHORE PETROLEUM AND GREENHOUSE GAS STORAGE AMENDMENT (COMPLIANCE MEASURES No. 2) BILL 2013 Purpose of the Bill The Bill will amend the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGGSA) to strengthen the offshore petroleum regulatory regime. It is focussed on important compliance, safety, integrity and environmental management objectives, including implementation of measures associated with the Government Response to the Report of the Montara Commission of Inquiry. In particular, the Bill will strengthen the application of the "polluter pays' principle in the regime, by requiring offshore petroleum titleholders, in the event of an escape of petroleum resulting from the titleholders' activities, to stop, control and clean-up the escaped petroleum, and remediate damage to the environment. In addition, the amendments implement a third party cost-recovery mechanism in the event the titleholder fails to comply with its statutory duty. Further amendments will ensure titleholders must provide evidence of sufficient financial assurance to cover expenses and liabilities arising from offshore petroleum activities, to the satisfaction of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), prior to commencing those activities. Among other measures, the Bill also includes amendments to provide the ability for NOPSEMA inspectors to issue environmental prohibition notices and improvement notices to offshore petroleum titleholders to remove threats to the environment arising from petroleum operations. Reasons for Urgency In the context of recent serious safety and environmental incidents in the offshore petroleum industry, including the 2009 uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons from the Montara Wellhead Platform in the Timor Sea, the 2010 Macondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico, and the 2012 fatalities at the Stena Clyde rig in Bass Strait, it is vital that necessary improvements to strengthen the offshore petroleum regulatory regime are made as soon possible. The amendments in this Bill implement the lessons learned from these incidents, including through measures to implement the Australian Government's Response to the Report of the Montara Commission of Inquiry, in order to improve protection for human health and safety and the marine environment. If the Bill is not considered in one Parliamentary sitting period, these necessary amendments to strengthen the regulatory regime and improve protections for human health and safety and the marine environment, will be delayed. The measure to clarify the application of the "polluter pays" principle in the OPGGSA will ensure, in the event of an escape of petroleum during offshore petroleum operations, that the polluter will be responsible for paying associated costs of clean-up, environmental remediation and monitoring. Under current arrangements in the absence of a statutory obligation and cost-recovery mechanism, which will continue if the Bill is not dealt with in this sitting period, in the event of an oil spill there is a risk that the Government would have to meet any shortfall if the polluter is unwilling or unable to pay those costs, which could be quite significant. In addition, the amendments to enable NOPSEMA inspectors to issue environmental prohibition notices and improvements notices to titleholders will ensure there is an appropriate administrative process in place to require timely action to remove threats to the environment from offshore petroleum activities. Similar notices have been used successfully to require the removal of threats to occupational health and safety for a number of years. If the Bill is not dealt with in these sittings, the availability of this important regulatory tool for NOPSEMA will be delayed.