Senator BOB BROWN (Leader of the Australian Greens) (4:27 PM) —I inform the Senate that there is an opposition amendment to this motion relating to a regulation of mobile phone chargers. I have agreed to the amendment, but I do not have the words of it with me. If the opposition cares to move that amendment, I will agree of course to it.

Senator CORMANN (4:27 PM) — I seek leave to amend the motion by deleting the word ‘legislate’ in and replacing it with the word ‘examine’.

Leave granted.

Senator CORMANN —I move:

Question agreed to.

Senator BOB BROWN —I move the motion as amended:

   That the Senate—

(a)   notes that the incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones is a major environmental problem that unnecessarily generates significant amounts of electronic waste;

(b)   acknowledges that it is an inconvenience for Australian consumers to acquire a new charger and dispose of the current one each time they want to acquire a new phone;

(c)   recognises that this problem can be fixed by the mobile phone industry working together to harmonise mobile phone chargers; and

(d)   calls on the Government to examine the harmonisation of mobile phone chargers in agreement with the mobile phone industry, similar to the agreement that has been reached in Europe.

Question agreed to.