Senator BARTLETT (3:32 PM) —I move:

The spill of cyanide into rivers in Hungary and Europe more widely is something that has attracted quite a deal of media attention in Australia and, obviously, in Europe as well in recent times. Anybody who doubts that we are now in a shrinking globe need only notice the worldwide attention being focused on Australia because of this incident. I am sure that most senators have been getting emails from people in Hungary complaining about the environmental damage that has been caused and asking us, as representatives of the Australian parliament, what we are going to do about it. So clearly this is something that is in the minds of some citizens in Hungary for them to be going to the trouble of emailing members of parliament in Australia asking them to act, assist and ensure that this sort of thing does not happen again. In question time today, as also occurred on Tuesday, we have been asking the government what sort of concrete action it will take to regulate the activities of Australian mining companies overseas. The company involved in this particular incident has, of course, denied that the cyanide spill is responsible for the environmental damage and is querying the extent of the damage.

I welcome the minister's commitment on Tuesday to table a report—or to publish or publicise a report—detailing the full situation once all the facts have come to light. I think that would be in the company's interest, obviously, if things are as they say. It would certainly be in Australia's interest, regardless of whether or not the company is correct in saying that they are not really to blame. It is clearly in Australia's interest to get the full facts about this situation. That does not change the fact that there have been other instances of Australian mining companies operating in a way that has been environmentally damaging. The minister's answer today, which was basically talking about encouraging voluntary compliance with codes of practice and encouraging companies to operate in an effective way and in a way that is not environmentally damaging, is all very nice and cooperative. There is nothing wrong with trying to work cooperatively, but the fact remains that there will always be companies that will not comply with voluntary codes and that will go outside those codes. Those companies can not only cause environmental damage, damage to people's livelihoods and great financial costs to communities overseas but also damage Australia's reputation. So to fall back and rely on nice cooperative voluntary codes is clearly just a `hope for the best approach' which, in the view of the Democrats, is not satisfactory in adequately protecting Australia's reputation. The Democrats believe that clearly there is a situation where our national interest is at stake. Clearly Australia is identified throughout Europe as having some connection to this particular problem. We need to learn the lessons from this otherwise we may well be faced with a similar situation in the future.

It is also worth noting, I think, the minister's response to my question in relation to funding by the Export Finance Insurance Corporation, which provides assistance to companies that may be looking at operating overseas, including mining companies. As far as I am aware—and I should clarify this for the record—that was not the case with this particular mine in Romania. But the minister again said that it is a bit unreasonable to put in place specific requirements that companies be required to meet environmental standards before they get funding from EFIC. I think it is quite a sensible approach to ensure that we do not go providing taxpayers' money to companies unless we can be sure that they are going to operate in a way that is environmentally responsible and that also meets human rights standards. I would urge the government to take account of that approach and of the widespread concerns not just of the people of Hungary who have been emailing us but also of the people of Australia, including investors and business people, who recognise the damage that such incidents can do to Australia's reputation and to those that seek to invest overseas. This generates not just valuable projects in those countries but also valuable revenue for Australia. (Time expired)

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT —Order! The time for the debate has expired.

Question resolved in the affirmative.