Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Amendment (Using New Technologies to Fight Climate Change) Bill 2023

The majority voted in favour of a motion to read the bill for a third time. This means that they agreed to pass the bill in the Senate. Because the bill has already passed in the House of Representatives, it will now become law.

What is the bill's main idea?

According to the bills digest, the key points on the bill are that:

• Australia is a party to the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Protocol). The London Protocol aims to promote the effective control of all sources of marine pollution and take practical steps to prevent pollution of the sea by the dumping of wastes and other matter.

• The London Protocol is administered by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialised agency of the United Nations.

• The London Protocol is implemented in Australia by the Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981 (Sea Dumping Act). However, certain activities, including sub-seabed sequestration of greenhouse gases, are also regulated by the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGGS Act) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

• The Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Amendment (Using New Technologies to Fight Climate Change) Bill 2023 proposes to amend the Sea Dumping Act to implement 2009 and 2013 amendments to the London Protocol to:

• allow for the issue of permits for the export of carbon dioxide streams from carbon dioxide capture processes for the purpose of sequestration into a sub-seabed geological formations

• allow for the issue of permits for the placement of wastes or other material for a marine geoengineering activity for the purpose of scientific research.

• The commencement of the provisions would be dependent on the deposit of ratification, and in the case of the 2009 amendment, further steps as outlined in this Digest.

• The amendments to the London Protocol were subject to a House Standing Committee inquiry and have also been referred to the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee.