Senator Brown asked the Minister representing the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, upon notice, on 20 March 2003:

With reference to the conference on the hydrogen economy to be held in Broome in May 2003:

(1) Why is it being held in such an expensive and inaccessible location.

(2) Why is tidal power singled out for special focus.

(3) Who is paying for the conference.

(4) What provision has been made to enable community participants to attend the conference, through scholarships, heavily discounted registration fees and assistance with travel costs.

(5) When will the proceedings be published and made available.

(6) (a) Who are the members of the High Level Advisory Group;

(b) Who are they advising; and

(c) What are they advising on.

Senator Minchin (Minister for Finance and Administration) —The Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) Broome has been chosen as the location for the conference as a means of showcasing the potential to produce hydrogen from the significant tidal energy resources of the Kimberley region and from Western Australia's natural gas reserves. The location also enables potential regional development opportunities associated with energy from hydrogen to be highlighted.

(2) The tidal energy resources of the Kimberley region have the potential to produce renewable energy on a large scale. Development of this resource could provide energy to produce hydrogen and realise a clean, renewable, flexible and cost effective fuel to meet Australia's future energy needs.

(3) The cost of the conference is being met by delegates' registration fees and funding provided through the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources.

(4) Conference registration fees, inclusive of GST, have been set at $880 for registrations received prior to 31 March 2003; $990 for registrations received prior to 2 May 2003; and $1100 for registrations received after 2 May. The cost of conference registration is being part-funded by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources in order to encourage participation by interested parties. Single-day registration is available to encourage, in particular, participation from Broome and the Kimberley region.

(5) Proceedings for the conference will be produced in June-July 2003 and will be accessible through the website of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources.

(6) (a) The High Level Advisory Group comprises Mr Greg Bourne, Regional President, BP; Ms Lindley Edwards, CEO of VentureBank; Dr Joel Swisher, Principal Team Leader, Energy and Resource Practice, Rocky Mountain Institute, Colorado, USA; and Mr Simon Whitehouse, Director, Alternative Transport Energy, Department of Planning and Infrastructure, Western Australia.

(b) The High Level Advisory Group advises the consulting team, ACIL Tasman-Parsons Brinckerhoff, that is undertaking the national hydrogen study on behalf of the Government. An interim report from the study will be presented to the Broome conference.

(c) The High Level Advisory Group provides expert advice on strategic international and domestic issues relevant to the national hydrogen study.