Additional Comments by Coalition Senators
Coalition Senators agree with this report's recommendations and
whilst acknowledging the positives of these bills as outlined in the report, we
are of the view that until the development of the Emissions Trading Scheme is
completed, the introduction of these bills would result in unnecessary
confusion.
Coalition Senators agree that the climate is changing and
accept this may be the result of human activity, but also acknowledge debate on
other possible causes, which include, inter alia, greenhouse emissions, changes
in the orbit of the Earth, and sun spot activity, and we note that cyclical
climate change has been an ongoing feature of history of the planet.
In relation to comments made in paragraphs 1.9 to 1.16 in regard
to the Howard Government's record on climate change, Coalition Senators believe
the Coalition Government took a leadership role on Climate Change and any view
that early interest was not sustained completely ignores the plethora of
positive outcomes achieved through the highly active Australian Greenhouse
Office and other relevant agencies.
The Coalition Government's strong leadership role on the
challenges of Climate Changes occurred on a national and international level
with investments of $2 billion in climate change programs. They included
hundreds of millions of dollars on solar and wind energy, developing of new
technology to make cleaner and more efficient fossil fuels and ways to capture
and store greenhouse gases to stop them going into the atmosphere. For example:
- The $500 million Low Emissions
Technology Demonstration Fund, which aimed at leveraging $1 billion from
industry to develop technologies to significantly reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.
- The $100 million Renewable
Energy Development Initiative, which provided competitive grants to support the
strategic development of renewable energy technologies.
During the leadership of the Howard Government, Australia could
proudly say it was one of the few countries that were on track to reach its
internationally agreed target for greenhouse gas emissions. Australia's record
proved to the international community that there was a way forward that allowed
for emission cuts and economic growth. During its term in office, Coalition
climate change strategies saw Australia forecast to save 85 million tonnes of
greenhouse gas emissions a year by 2010, while the economy was expected to
almost double.
These savings were the equivalent of taking every one of
Australia's 14 million cars, trucks and buses off the road – and stopping all
rail, air and shipping activity – while still providing for major economic
growth.
Even with such achievements the Coalition government continued
to take seriously the issues of climate change and its role in reducing the global
greenhouse signature.
Under the Coalition, Australia was a joint signatory in the
first global agreement between the United States, China, India, Japan and the
Republic of Korea – the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and
Climate – where member countries worked together to use technological solutions
to bring about the dramatic cuts to greenhouse gas emissions that the world
needs to tackle climate change. Coalition Senators would like to express their
regret that the Labor Government has axed funding to this valuable program.
Within the relevant areas of renewable energy, the Coalition
also displayed strong leadership with the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target
Scheme as discussed in this report. This leading policy from the Coalition Government
has, in no small part, helped contribute to the growth and development of Australia's
current renewable energy market.
Coalition Senators are also of the opinion that consideration
should be given to extending the MRET to include all clean energy technologies.
In essence the MRET should encourage the development of all low emission energy
production markets in Australia equally, with the ultimate aim of reducing
Australia's overall emission levels. Australia's current energy mix means that
the positive effects of MRET are restricted to a relatively small portion of
the energy market. Clean energy production technologies deal with the fossil
fuel energy sources that currently make up the largest portion of Australia's
energy mix. Clean energy technology's aim at producing energy with low
emissions which result in the same outcome achieved by renewable energy, albeit
from a finite resource. Including clean energy technologies into the MRET would
extend the incentives for low emission energy production to a far greater
portion of Australia's energy mix consequently delivering far more of the
MRET's desired reduction in emissions.
Senator Dr Alan
Eggleston
Deputy Chair
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