GREENHOUSE GAS MITIGATION – GOVERNMENT POLICY – AUSTRALIA

PM clings to Paris target, RET

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 12-Sep-18

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told broadcaster Alan Jones that the federal government will not abandon the Paris climate change targets, in spite of pressure from conservatives to do so. Morrison said that climate change is an incredibly important issue for nations in the Pacific region, with Morrison noting the region is very important to Australia in terms of strategic influence. The government has previously stated that abandoning the Paris targets could jeopardise a free trade agreement with the European Union. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has joined the Coalition’s backbench energy and environment committee, has called for the Renewable Energy Target to be scrapped immediately.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Frydenberg mourns death of NEG

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-Sep-18

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will ask Cabinet on 10 September to dump the emissions reduction targets contained in the now defunct National Energy Guarantee. Josh Frydenberg says he is disappointed by the NEG’s scrapping, but he denies suggestions it was the cause of Malcolm Turnbull’s demise as Prime Minister. Business groups want the "reliability component" of the NEG to be included in any future energy policy, while Labor climate spokesman Mark Butler accused Morrison of giving in to the Liberal Party’s conservative wing.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, ORORA LIMITED – ASX ORA

Paris targets still on despite exemption

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 31-Aug-18

Environment Minister Melissa Price rather than Energy Minister Angus Taylor has been given responsibility for meeting Australia’s carbon emission reductions target under the Paris climate agreement. Price has expressed confidence that the target will be achieved, noting that the nation is on track to exceed its emissions reduction target for 2020. Policies aimed at reducing electricity prices will be a priority for Taylor, who has indicated that the federal government will adopt many of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s recommendations in its review of retail electricity prices.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY REGULATOR, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Price cuts come first over Paris emissions

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 30-Aug-18

Australia’s new Energy Minister Angus Taylor says his top priority in the portfolio will be to pursue measures that will result in lower electricity prices, rather than implementing carbon emission reduction targets under the Paris climate agreement. Taylor will use a Council of Small Business Organisations speech on 30 August to criticise the Opposition’s carbon emissions reduction target, arguing that it reduce the nation’s energy security as coal-fired power stations would be forced to close.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, McKINSEY AND COMPANY

Turnbull in bid to quash rebellion

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Original article by Simon Benson, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 17-Aug-18

The national energy guarantee continues to divide the federal government, amid revelations that Labor has been given a copy of the legislation while Coalition MPs have yet to see it. George Christensen and Andrew Hastie are the latest Coalition MPs to signal their opposition to the inclusion of the Paris agreement’s carbon emissions reduction target in the NEG. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has sought to quell dissent by flagging government intervention to prevent the three largest energy generators and retailers from manipulating electricity prices.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, ENERGYAUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Energy rebels challenge PM

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Original article by Simon Benson, Joe Kelly, Greg Bright, Samantha Hutchinson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-Aug-18

The Coalition’s joint party room meeting backed the national energy guarantee on 14 August, but 10 MPs and senators have signalled that they could vote against the NEG in parliament. They include Tony Abbott, Eric Abetz, Andrew Hastie and Barnaby Joyce; they have cited factors such as the NEG’s emissions reduction target and the lack of a price guarantee for their opposition to the policy. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is said to be open to legislating for a price guarantee.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Face climate truths: farmer’s plea to PM

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Original article by Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 14-Aug-18

Drought-affected grain and cattle farmer Peter Mailler says it is time for the federal government to have a honest debate about climate change, rather than trying to undermine the science behind it. Mailler recently had to send pregnant cows to the abattoir because he did not have enough grain to feed them. He says that unless the government is prepared to tackle climate change, it should not "pretend to champion" farmers who are affected by drought. He accused some politicians of trying to give the electricity sector a "free kick" on carbon emissions reduction, while at the same time expecting farmers to reduce their emissions output.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Shorten calls for states, feds to do NEG deal

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 9-Aug-18

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has urged Labor-led states to support the national energy guarantee at the Council of Australian Governments meeting on 10 August. The Victorian government maintains that the NEG’s carbon emissions reduction target should be subject to regulation rather than legislation, which is the federal government’s preferred approach. The federal Labor party supports the NEG, although it is advocating a higher emissions reduction target than that proposed by the Coalition.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, VICTORIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, LAND, WATER AND PLANNING, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, GETUP LIMITED

Feds could compromise on NEG target review

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 8-Aug-18

Federal Government sources have indicated that the Coalition may be open to allowing its carbon emissions reduction target to be reviewed earlier than 2024, in order to secure support for the national energy guarantee. Labor wants the emissions target to be reviewed well before this date, and it advocates holding the reviews every three years. Labor also favours allowing the emissions reduction target to be changed via regulation, but the government is refusing to back down on its requirement that changes can only be made via legislation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, VICTORIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, LAND, WATER AND PLANNING

Abbott call: pull out of Paris deal

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 4-Jul-18

Former prime minister Tony Abbott says Australia should withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, arguing that it would be the best way to preserve jobs and keep electricity prices down. Meanwhile, the National Party wants its proposed $A5bn government energy fund to be used to finance the construction of at least three new baseload power stations and to both increase the capacity and extend the operational life of existing power stations.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY