Additional Comments by ALP Senators
On 24 June 2004 the
Senate referred to the Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
References Committee an inquiry to examine the budgetary and environmental
implications of the Energy White Paper.
Labor Senators are
of the opinion that, whilst submissions were not received from all groups of
stakeholders in the debate, this report accurately reports the evidence
presented to the Committee in submissions and hearings.
This report also
raises a number of issues that are worthy of debate and further consideration,
taking into account both the environmental and economic implications for
Australia’s long term future.
These issues
include:
- Developing a
strategy that includes specific CO2 emissions reduction targets beyond the
Kyoto period for the long term
-
Providing a
policy framework that encourages more efficient energy use, demand management,
and uptake of more efficient energy technologies
- Greater focus on
and support for renewable energy technologies, including photovoltaics
-
Re-examining the
projected costs of increasing the MRET and extending its life
- Introducing a
national emissions trading scheme
Labor Senators on
the committee also urge the government to consider:
-
Ratifying the
Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change
-
Increasing MRET
to 5% by 2010 and continue to review this target as 2010 approaches
- Establishing a
national emissions trading scheme
- Implementing
mechanisms to deliver improved energy efficiency
- Establish a
greenhouse trigger under the EP&BC Act
- Funding low
emissions projects including renewable technologies, including those which
allow Australia’s coal to be burned more cleanly and efficiently, encourage
cleaner transport fuels and bring forward the use and development of
Australia’s gas resources
- Instigating a
national education program to encourage power users to switch to renewable
energy sources
- Working with
industry organisations to ensure all domestic, commercial and industrial users
understand their emissions and can track changes in emissions over time
- Identifying
technological, economic and institutional barriers to achievement of greenhouse
emission targets, and measures to address those barriers
- Seeking to
enhance the National Pollutant Inventory to include information on all
industrial sources of greenhouse gases as well as aggregate emissions from all
minor sources including domestic, agricultural, commercial and industrial
- Reduce greenhouse
emissions from road vehicles by:
- Maintaining
planned excise differentials for alternative fuels
- Investigating
economic incentives to encourage Australians to purchase fuel efficient
vehicles
- Continuing to
support fuel efficiency labelling and the Green Vehicles Guide
- Continuing to
work with State and Territory Governments towards improved public transport
systems and greenhouse efficient land transport systems
The two other
important areas in the energy debate include security and affordability. These
issues were not canvassed in full by the vast majority of evidence presented in
submissions and hearings, and therefore are not covered in this report.
Labor Senators
conclude that this report makes an important contribution in furthering the
debate on sustainable energy policy, and that, as stated earlier, raises a
number of issues that are worthy of further consideration, taking into account
both the environmental and economic implications for Australia’s long term
future.
Senator Kate Lundy
Australian Labor Party
Senator Stephen Conroy
Australian Labor Party
Senator Mark Bishop
Australian
Labor Party
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