Climate Change Act of Australia – Is Today The Day?

Will the Federal Government’s Climate Change Bill have its day in the sun today? Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen hopes so. And what’s with the Albanese Government approving a bunch of new fossil fuel exploration sites recently?

Addressing a question from Independent member for Curtin Kate Chaney in Parliament yesterday about how the Federal Government reconciles approving the release of 10 new fossil fuel exploration sites with a 43% emissions reduction target and doing our bit to limit global warming, Minister Bowen had this to say:

“Well thanks very much Mr. Speaker, and I thank the honourable member for her question. And as I have before, thank her for her engagement on these issues in a very constructive way.

And as the honourable member knows, our Climate Change Bill should, if all goes well, pass the Senate tomorrow and become the Climate Change Act of Australia; and will enshrine that 43% emissions reduction into the law of land, which sensible honourable members agree is a very good thing because it provides that certainty and that signal to the rest of the world.

Now, as the honourable member also knows, 43% is an economy-wide target, to be achieved by the whole country. But we do have policies that achieve that on a sector-by-sector basis.

Rewiring The Nation when it comes to electricity, electric vehicle strategy when it comes to transport, and safeguards mechanism when it comes to big emitters, particularly oil and gas. And safeguards mechanism is important way for oil and gas emissions to be reduced. And we have a discussion paper out there at the moment and all honourable members are encouraged to make a constructive suggestion; if you have any.

And I know honourable members of the crossbench, they will do that because it is a sensible project, a process to go through, including how new proposals are dealt with in the safeguards mechanism; and we are open to constructive advice.

The Minister for Resources did a couple of weeks ago release for exploration an invitation to explore those areas. It’s an annual process that occurs every year. The Minister for Resources had done that in an appropriate way.”

On his hopes for the Climate Change Act of Australia, Minister Bowen on Monday tweeted:

“Passing the Climate Change Bill will underline the end of 10 years of denial and delay and dysfunction under the previous government and send a message to the world’s investors that Australia is open for business.”

Well, it will certainly be a start.

“Same Old Liberal Party”

Minister Bowen also took aim at the Opposition’s problem with tax cuts for electric vehicles yesterday.

“Opposing tax cuts that will make EVs more affordable isn’t the only EV policy the Opposition has,” he posted on Facebook. “They also oppose even talking about increasing EV supply in Australia. They haven’t changed. It’s the same old Liberal Party.”

But it’s not just the Opposition concerned about the nature of these cuts.

82 Per Cent Renewables “Just The Beginning”

Over to renewables specifically, earlier in the day Minister Bowen told a forum in Canberra having a grid powered by 82 per cent renewables by 2030 under Labor’s Powering Australia Plan is just the beginning.

“But then we’ve got to be moving on to 200, 300, 400 per cent in exports”.

By exports, he was referring to projects such as Sun Cable’s proposed Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink); a huge solar power and battery storage project that intends exporting electricity to Singapore.

There was also some hydrogen-huffing from Mr. Bowen, as has become very common generally these days.

Anyway, between the Climate Change Bill and EV stuff, it looks like an interesting day ahead.

UPDATE 3:20 PM. The Climate Change Bill 2022 has been passed in the Senate.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/climate-act-australia-mb2625/