With regard to the sponsorship by the Australian Government of a major international conference, `The Hydrogen Economy - Challenges and Strategies for Australia', in Broome on 18-21 May 2003:

(1) How much is this conference going to cost?

(2) Are the funds coming from the $1 million announced by the then Minister for Forestry and Conservation (Mr Tuckey) in October 2001, which was earmarked for the National Hydrogen Study by the Australian Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources; if so, what is the total of those funds; if not, where are the funds coming from?

(3) (a) Are any funds being provided for the conference above those provided for in the answer to (2); and (b) what budget allocation is the funding coming from.

(4) Given that the power point presentation located at http://www.mp.wa.gov.au/rchapple/issues/hy-drogen/hydro.zip provided to the Broome Shire Council as a result of a visit by Mr Tuckey on Monday, 16 December 2002, states, `The greatest potential of the Kimberley region and its Tidal Power is for servicing Australia's future based on a: Hydrogen Economy' (slide 12), and the promotion for the conference states, `the International Hydrogen Conference will be held at the Cable Beach Resort in Broome, Western Australia - a location specially chosen because of its proximity to the scenic Kimberley region and the great tidal flows of King Sound', is the conference in any way operating as a promotion for Derby Tidal Power?

(1) The estimated cost of the conference to the Commonwealth will be around $275,000.

(2) The conference is being funded from $1 million appropriated to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources in the 2002-03 Budget for the purpose of studying the potential of hydrogen, including its relationship with tidal power.

(3) (a) No. (b) Not applicable.

(4) No. The purpose of the conference is to map the future of hydrogen as a possible long-term source of energy and to identify Australia's contribution to world hydrogen developments. The tidal energy resource of the Kimberley region has the potential to provide energy to produce hydrogen and realise a clean, renewable, flexible and cost effective fuel.