Senator GREIG (11:04 AM) —I move Democrat amendment No. 4 on sheet 1294, as revised:

Page 3 (after line 30), after clause 4, insert:

4A This Act to be subject to international obligations

This Act has effect subject to Australia's obligations under international law, including obligations under any agreement between Australia and another country or countries relating to matters of environmental protection and forest management.

This amendment relates to international treaty obligations and seeks to put an obligation into the regional forestry agreement legislation to ensure that it is clearly subject to international agreements between Australia and other countries that relate to matters of environ mental protection and forest management. These agreements include, for example, Ramsar wetlands, the biodiversity convention, the migratory bird agreements and so on. It is necessary for this to be explicit in this legislation as the legislation at a federal level ensures that it links the state regional forestry agreements with Commonwealth law. It is the Commonwealth which signs these agreements on behalf of the nation as a whole and, given that both the coalition and the Labor Party when in government have either signed these agreements or enacted policy on them, we look forward to their support.