The climate policies of the two major Australian political
parties (the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party of Australia) have
varied considerably over the years. These policies have included some strong
and tangible actions as well as what appear to be mere political statements.
Since 2007 Australia’s response to climate change has featured prominently in
federal elections with close scrutiny given to party policies. It has been
suggested that two federal political leaders have lost their position in part
because of their policies on climate change (Malcolm Turnbull as Leader of the
Opposition in 2009 and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2010).[1]
The inconsistent nature of Australian climate policy cannot
be fully explained by looking at which political party was in government at the
time. Both Labor and Liberal Governments have advanced (and sometimes
regressed) on climate change. For example, in 1990 Labor was in government. It
resisted adopting an emissions reduction target canvassed by its own Minister
for Environment, only doing so with a ‘no regrets’ proviso, which rendered the
target ineffectual.[2] Yet a Labor Government was also responsible for Australia’s 2020 emissions
reduction targets.[3]
Likewise, a Liberal Government insisted in 1997 that
adopting targets would have a ‘devastating impact’ on jobs and industry.[4] Yet a Liberal
Government elected to keep Australia’s 2020 targets when they came to power in
September 2013.[5]
It was a Liberal Government that brought commendation to
Australia in 1998 by creating the Australian Greenhouse Office, the world’s
first government agency dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.[6] Just six years
later the same government dismantled the agency and merged it into the
Department of the Environment.[7] In the same way, a Labor Government reinstated a stand-alone Department of
Climate Change in 2007 and then disbanded it in 2013, merging it into a larger
department.[8]
A Labor Government represented Australia at the Rio ‘Earth
Summit’ in 1992, brokering and immediately signing Australia onto the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).[9] A Liberal Government then
continued the momentum, negotiating on Australia’s behalf, in deliberations
over the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC and signing the treaty shortly after.[10] However, the
same Liberal Government later refused to ratify the Protocol, claiming that
doing so was counter to the nation’s interest.[11]
The newly installed Labor Government ratified the Protocol
less than two months after Turnbull’s failed petition.[12] Nevertheless, the
succeeding Labor Government, which helped negotiate in 2011 an agreement to
continue the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012, would not initially join a second
deal. It was not until a year later it did so, and Australia agreed to join a
second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
In December 2015 a Liberal Government announced that
Australia would ratify the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. This
occurred only after the Government had announced that the country would meet,
and surpass, its 2020 emission reduction target.[13] At the same time, along with 195 other nations, Australia joined the Paris
Agreement, a protocol designed to keep global warming “well below” 2°C, using a
ratchet system of increasing emission reduction targets over time.
In real terms, however, Australia’s emissions in 2015 rose
for the first time in three years.[14]
The table overleaf is a record of Australian climate change
policies. Key international developments are also included to provide global
context.
Milestones |
Details |
Source
Documents |
Jun 1972 |
Stockholm
declaration acknowledges the relationship between humans and their
environment: Through the Stockholm
Declaration the world acknowledges that ‘In the industrialized countries,
environmental problems are generally related to industrialization and technological
development.’ |
United National Environment
Programme, Declaration
of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, 16 June
1962. |
Whitlam
Government takes Office – December 1972 |
Fraser
Government takes Office – November 1975 |
Mar 1976 |
The
Australian Academy of Science (AAS) reports that human activities are likely
to contribute to warming: However, the report concludes that ‘there is no evidence
that the world is now on the brink of a major climatic change’. |
AAS, Report of
a committee on climatic change, report no. 1, AAS, Canberra, March 1976.
[Link to internal APH network] |
Feb 1979 |
First
international conference on climate change: At the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) World
Climate Conference in Geneva international experts discuss, for the first
time, the link between human activities and climate. |
UNFCCC, ‘Meeting The First
World Climate Conference, 12–23 February 1979, Geneva, Switzerland’, UNFCC archive. |
Hawke-Keating
Government takes office – March 1983 |
Jun 1988 |
First
global emissions reduction targets (the ‘Toronto targets’): At the
Toronto conference on climate change a target of 20% reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions by 2005 on 1988 levels is proposed. |
Canadian Meteorological and
Oceanographic Society, The
changing atmosphere: implications for global security: conference statement,
27–30 June 1988. |
Nov 1988 |
First
meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): The IPCC is an international working group of
experts tasked with reviewing and synthesising peer-reviewed research
publications on climate change. |
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), Report of
the first session of the WMO/UNEP IPCC, 9–11 November 1988. |
1989 |
First
Australian greenhouse gas emissions reduction proposal submitted to Cabinet: Senator
Graham Richardson (Minister for the Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and
Territories) submits to Cabinet a proposal for a 20% reduction in 1988
Australian greenhouse gas emissions levels by 2005. |
V Burgmann and HA Baer, Climate
politics and the climate movement in Australia, Melbourne University
Press, Carlton, Vic., 2012, p. 61. |
Jun-Aug
1990 |
IPCC
releases its First Assessment Report (FAR): The IPCC
FAR notes with certainty that:
- a natural greenhouse effect
warms the Earth
- human activities contribute to
atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases.
Several
predictions are made about the effect of an enhanced greenhouse effect on the
climate. |
J Houghton, GJ Jenkins and
JJ Ephraums (eds.), Climate
change: the IPCC scientific assessment (First report), IPCC, Cambridge, Cambridge
University Press, 1990. |
Oct 1990 |
Australian
Government adopts the ‘Toronto targets’ with provisos: Senator Richardson’s 20%
target, which had originally been rejected, is accepted and announced on
11 October 1990 as an ‘Interim Planning Target’ with the proviso that
the reduction would not be at the expense of the economy (the ‘no regrets’
strategy). The Council of Australia
Governments (COAG) endorses the target. The Senate
Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology is tasked with
investigating the costs and benefits of meeting the target. |
R Kelly (Minister for the
Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories) and J Kerin (Minister
for Primary Industry and Energy), Government
sets targets for reductions in greenhouse gases, joint statement, 11
October 1990. COAG, InterGovernmental
Agreement on the Environment, February 1992. Senate Standing Committee on
Industry, Science and Technology, Rescue the future: reducing the impact
of the greenhouse effect, The Senate, Canberra, January 1991. |
Dec 1990 |
First
global treaty on climate change established (UNFCCC): Prompted
by the IPCC FAR, negotiations begin for a global treaty responding to climate
change. This treaty later becomes known as the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). |
UNFCCC, ‘Issues in the
negotiating process: a brief history of the climate change process’, UNFCCC
Conference of the Parties 7 website. |
Keating
Government takes office – 20 December 1991 |
9 May 1992 |
The
United Nations General Assembly adopts the UNFCCC: After 15
months of negotiations the treaty is open for signatures in June 1992. |
UNFCCC, ‘Status
of Ratification of the Convention’, UNFCCC website, 9 May 1992. |
4 Jun 1992 |
Australia
signs the UNFCCC at the UN Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Ros Kelly,
MP (Minister for the Arts, Sport, the Environment and Territories), signs the
UNFCCC on behalf of Australia at the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development (or UNCED, informally known as the “Rio Earth Summit”). The
UNFCCC aims to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations in time to
protect ecosystems, food security and economic development from the threat of
climate change. By signing the treaty Australia indicates its acceptance of
the principles of the Convention. |
R Kelly (Minister for the
Arts, Sport, the Environment and Territories), Australia
signs UNCED climate change convention, media release, 4 June 1992. |
Dec 1992 |
The National
Greenhouse Response Strategy (NGRS) released: The NGRS
is endorsed by the Commonwealth, state and territory Governments at a COAG
meeting. The NGRS is a mechanism to audit and facilitate national approaches
to limit greenhouse gas emissions so that Australia can meet its commitments
to the UNFCCC. The strategy relies on action with no negative impacts on the
national economy or on Australia’s trade competitiveness (‘no regrets’
strategy). The strategy includes the formation of the National Greenhouse
Advisory Panel. |
Australian Government, National
Greenhouse Response Strategy, Australian Government Publishing Service
(AGPS), Canberra, December 1992. Council of Australian
Governments (COAG), Communique, ‘Environment
– ESD and greenhouse’, COAG Meeting, Perth, 7 December 1992, COAG website. |
30 Dec
1992 |
Australia
ratifies UNFCCC: Australia
is the ninth country to ratify the UNFCCC. |
UNFCCC, ‘Status
of ratification of the Convention’, UNFCCC website. Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (DFAT), ‘Treaty
making process’, DFAT website. |
21 Mar
1994 |
UNFCCC
comes into force: A minimum
of 50 ratifications is reached in December 1993. This allows the UNFCCC to
come into force ninety days later. |
UNFCCC, ‘Status
of ratification of the Convention’, UN website. United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, opened for signature 9 May 1992, ATS
[1994] No. 2 (entered into force 21 March 1994). |
19 Sep
1994 |
Australia
meets its first commitment to the UNFCCC: In
preparation for the first Conference of Parties (COP) in 1995, Australia
lodges its first
national communication to the UNFCCC. This document outlines how
Australia is to meet its obligations to the UNFCCC and includes the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory,
which tracks Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. |
Department of the
Environment, Sport and Territories, Climate change:
Australia’s national report under the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, September 1994. Department of the
Environment, National greenhouse
gas inventory – Kyoto Protocol classifications, Australian Greenhouse
Emissions Information System website. UNFCCC, Report on the
in-depth review of the national communication of Australia,
FCCC/IDR.1/AUS, 14 December 1995. |
29 Mar
1995 |
Government
introduces Greenhouse 21C plan: The ‘Greenhouse
21C plan’ supplements the NGRS with a number of additional measures to curb
greenhouse gas emissions. One of these is the Greenhouse
Challenge program, a voluntary scheme for major companies and industry
sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. |
Department of Primary
Industries and Energy, ‘Greenhouse
Challenge’ webpage. J Faulkner (Minister for the
Environment, Sport and Territories), Press
conference for the release of Greenhouse 21C, speech, 29 March
1995. |
Mar/Apr
1995 |
First
UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP1) held in Berlin, Germany: COP1
agrees to the Berlin
Mandate, a process for strengthening developed nations’ greenhouse gas
emissions reduction commitments via the adoption of a protocol or other legal
instrument. |
UNFCCC, Report of the
Conference of the Parties on its first session, held at Berlin from 28 March
to 7 April 1995, Addendum, Part 2: Action taken by the Conference of the
Parties at its first session, FCCC/CP/1995/7/Add.1, 6 June 1995. UNFCCC, Report on the Conference
of the Parties on its first session, held at Berlin from 28 March to 7 April
1995, FCCC/CP/1995/7, 24 May 1995. |
Dec 1995 |
IPCC
releases its second assessment report (SAR): The IPCC
SAR states that “there is a discernible human influence on global
climate”. |
IPCC, IPCC
second assessment: climate change 1995, 1996. |
Howard
Government takes office – March 1996 |
Jul 1996 |
Second
UNFCCC COP held in Geneva, Switzerland: COP2
develops the Geneva
Ministerial Declaration. The Declaration recognises the importance of the
IPCC’s SAR and urges member countries to develop legally-binding emissions
targets. |
UNFCCC, Report of the Conference
of the Parties on its second session, held at Geneva from 8 to 19 July 1996,
FCCC/CP/1996/15, 29 October 1996. |
18 Jul
1996 |
Australia
announces involvement in Pilot Phase of UNFCCC’s ‘Activities Implemented
Jointly’: Senator
Hill (Minister for the Environment) announces that Australia will be part of
the UNFCCC’s trial project known as ‘Activities
Implemented Jointly’. It involves countries undertaking emissions
reduction projects in other countries. The Senator explains that, for
Australia, ‘in the long term we would be seeking credit from the
international community for our efforts’. |
R Hill (Minister for the
Environment), New
Australian move on greenhouse [emissions], media release, 18 July
1996. |
Late 1996 |
The
National Greenhouse Advisory Panel releases the results of a major review of
the NGRS: The report
indicates that the “NGRS had little if any effect in achieving the necessary
policy coordination and integration within and between jurisdictions; with
few exceptions, greenhouse issues have not been considered”. |
National Greenhouse Advisory
Panel (NGAP), Report on the national greenhouse response strategy,
Environment Australia, Environment Protection Group, for the NGAP, AGPS, Canberra,
1996. |
28 Feb
1997 |
Public
submissions sought to guide Australia’s response to climate change: Senator
Robert Hill (Minister for the Environment) announces the release of a
discussion paper by the Intergovernmental Committee on Ecologically
Sustainable Development entitled ‘Future directions for Australia’s National
Greenhouse Strategy’. Submissions are sought to guide the principles and
measures that would feature in the National Greenhouse Strategy 1998. |
R Hill (Minister for the
Environment), Greenhouse:
developing a new strategy, media release, 28 February 1997. Intergovernmental Committee
on Ecologically Sustainable Development, Future directions for Australia’s
National Greenhouse Strategy, Department of the Environment, Sport and
Territories, Canberra, 1997. |
26 Sep
1997 |
Government
says that adoption of emissions reduction targets would be devastating for
Australia: Senator
Hill claims that Australia will share the global burden of reducing
greenhouse gas emissions but that ‘The adoption of a uniform reduction target
at the upcoming Kyoto conference would have a devastating impact on
Australian industry and its ability to create jobs’. |
R Hill (Minister for the
Environment), Greenhouse
gas figures reveal uniform target danger, media release, 26 September 1997. |
15 Nov
1997 |
Australia
lodges its second national communication to the UNFCCC: Australia outlines how it
intends to progress its international obligations. The strategies include
establishing a statutory greenhouse body (the future Australian Greenhouse
Office) and investment in renewable energy, energy reform, revegetation, and
energy efficiency standards and labelling. |
Department of the
Environment, Climate
change. Australia’s second national report under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, November 1997. UNFCCC, Report on the
in-depth review of the second national communication of Australia,
FCCC/IDR.2/AUS, 18 October 1999. |
20 Nov
1997 |
Prime
Minister Howard introduces the ‘Prime Minister’s package’: Funding is
provided for strategies outlined in Australia’s second national communication
to the UNFCCC. A target of an additional 2% of electricity to be sourced from
renewable sources by 2010 is made. |
J Howard, ‘Safeguarding
the future: Australia’s response to climate change’, House of
Representatives, ministerial statement, Debates, 20 November 1997. |
Dec 1997 |
Third
UNFCCC COP held in Kyoto, Japan – Kyoto Protocol adopted: The Kyoto
Protocol is adopted after two years of negotiations. Australia secures a
controversial concession to include land-use change and forestry as part of
the net emissions in the 1990 baseline (later known as the ‘Australia
clause’). To come into effect the Protocol must be ratified by:
- at
least 55 Parties to the Convention and
- countries
responsible for a combined total of 55% of carbon dioxide emissions (at
1990 levels) from developed countries.
|
UNFCCC, Report of the Conference
of the Parties on its third session, held at Kyoto, from 1 to 11 December
1997, FCCC/CP/1997/7, 24 March 1998. R Hill (Minister for the
Environment), Kyoto
agreement a win for the environment, media release, 11 December 1997. |
Apr 1998 |
The
Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) is established: Australia
is the first country to establish a government agency dedicated to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions The AGO is responsible for managing the ‘Prime
Minister’s package’. |
J Howard, ‘Safeguarding
the future: Australia’s response to climate change’, ministerial
statement, House of Representatives, Debates, 20 November 1997, p.
10921. R Hill (Minister for the
Environment), Hill
announces new Greenhouse chief [Gwen Andrews], media release,
4 March 1998. |
29 Apr
1998 |
Australia
signs the Kyoto Protocol: Australia
signs the Kyoto Protocol, along with 20 other countries. However, Australia
does not ratify the Kyoto protocol and therefore the targets are not legally
binding. |
R Hill (Minister for the
Environment), Hill
signs historic agreement to fight global warming, media release, 29
April, 1998. |
Nov 1998 |
Fourth
UNFCCC COP held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Buenos Aires Plan of Action is developed to
strengthen the financial and technological side of emissions trading to help
bring the Kyoto Protocol into force. |
UNFCCC, Report of the Conference
of the Parties on its fourth session, held at Buenos Aires from 2 to 14
November 1998, FCCC/CP/1998/16, 20 January 1999. |
Nov 1998 |
NGRS
is replaced by the National Greenhouse Strategy (NGS): The AGO
launches the NGS,
which extends and supersedes the NGRS. |
R Hill (Minister for the
Environment), Launch
of national greenhouse strategy, speech, 26 November 1998. The Australian Greenhouse
Office (AGO), ‘Greenhouse
Policy’, AGO website. |
Mar 1999 |
The
AGO releases the first of four discussion papers on emissions trading: The first
discussion paper, ‘Establishing the Boundaries’ of the National Emissions
Trading series, details the principles and framework for how an
emissions trading system (ETS) might operate. |
AGO, National
emissions trading: discussing the boundaries, Discussion paper 1, AGO,
Canberra, 1999. [Link to internal APH network] |
May 1999 |
‘Measures
for a Better Environment’ package is announced: New
funding is announced in the 2000-01 Budget for reductions in greenhouse gas
emissions and to encourage the uptake of renewable energy. More than half of
this funding is dedicated to the Greenhouse Gas Abatement Programme to
‘support activities that are likely to result in substantial reductions in
greenhouse emissions or substantial enhancement of carbon sinks, and are
consistent with ecologically sustainable development’. |
Australian Government, The
Commonwealth's environmental expenditure, Budget 2000-2001, 'Chapter 2:
strategic directions and budget overview’, Commonwealth of Australia,
Canberra, 2000, p. 12. |
Jun 1999 |
The
AGO releases second discussion paper on emissions trading: This discussion
paper discusses the allocation of permits, permit duration
and how to progress towards emissions trading in Australia. |
AGO, National
emissions trading: issuing the permits, Discussion paper 2, AGO,
Canberra, June 1999. [Link to internal APH network] |
Oct 1999 |
The
AGO releases third discussion paper on emissions trading: This discussion paper explores the framework for
a national ETS and how carbon sinks might be included. |
AGO, National
Emissions Trading: crediting the carbon, Discussion Paper 3, AGO,
Canberra, October 1999. [Link to internal APH network] |
Oct-Nov
1999 |
Fifth
UNFCCC COP held in Bonn, Germany: COP5 is a
technical meeting. Annex I (industrialised) countries are asked to adopt the UNFCCC
guidelines for reporting emissions. |
UNFCCC, Report of the Conference
of the Parties on its fifth session, Held at Bonn from 25 October to
5 November 1999, FCCC/CP/1999/6, 21 December 1999. |
Dec 1999 |
The
AGO releases the fourth and final discussion paper on emissions trading: This discussion
paper covers the design of carbon permits, how emissions would be
monitored and reported, and how the market could operate. |
AGO, National
emissions trading: designing the market, Discussion paper 4, AGO,
Canberra, December 1999. [Link to internal APH network] |
7 Nov 2000 |
‘The
heat is on: Australia’s Greenhouse Future’ Senate Committee report released: The report criticises the Government for a lack of commitment to climate change policy.
More than 100 recommendations are made. |
Senate Standing Committees
on Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, The
heat is on: Australia's greenhouse future, 7 November 2000. |
Nov 2000 |
Part
one of the Sixth UNFCCC COP held in The Hague, Netherlands: Heated
debate over the role of developed countries is heard. Discussions falter and
the conference is suspended without agreement. |
UNFCCC, Report of the Conference
of the Parties on the first part of its sixth session, held at The Hague from
13 to 25 November 2000, FCCC/CP/2000/5, 4 April 2001. |
Jan-Mar
2001 |
IPCC
releases its third assessment report (TAR): The IPCC
TAR details the growing scientific evidence that global temperatures have
increased over the 20th century. Temperatures are predicted to increase by 1.4–5.8°C over the next century. |
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), IPCC Third Assessment
Report - climate change 2001, 2003. |
1 Apr 2001 |
Mandatory
Renewable Energy Target scheme (MRET) starts: The MRET
commences under the Renewable
Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. It mandates, as initially proposed in
the Prime Minister’s Package, that by 2010 electricity retailers and other
large electricity buyers source an additional 2% (above 2001
levels of about 8%) of their electricity from renewable or specified
waste-product energy sources. Annual targets are defined. |
R Hill (Minister for the
Environment and Heritage), $2
billion investment boom set to cut Australia's greenhouse emissions,
media release, 4 April 2001. |
June 2001 |
Government
rejects Senate Committee recommendations: The
Government response to The
Heat is On: Australia’s Greenhouse Future rejects the report’s criticisms
of existing Government climate change policy and programs. |
Australian Government, Government
response to the Senate Environment, Communications, Information Technology
and the Arts References Committee report: The heat Is on: Australia's greenhouse
future, June 2001. |
July 2001 |
Part
two of COP 6 held in Bonn, Germany: Talks
resume after breaking down in 2000. The Bonn Agreements are made, which include implementing the Buenos Aires Plan of Action
developed at COP4. |
UNFCCC, Draft report of
the Conference of the Parties on the second part of its sixth session, held
at Bonn from 16 to .. July 2001, FCCC/CP/2001/L.1, 26 July 2001. |
Oct/ Nov
2001 |
Seventh
UNFCCC COP held in Marrakesh, Morocco: Marrakesh Accords are developed, detailing how to meet the Kyoto Protocol targets. The
Marrakesh Ministerial Declaration is also announced, to be used at the
upcoming Earth Summit in Johannesburg. |
UNFCCC, Report of the Conference
of the Parties on its seventh session, held at Marrakesh from 29 October to
10 November 2001. Part one: proceedings, FCCC/CP/2001/13, 21 January 2002. |
May 2002 |
European
Union (EU) and Japan ratify the Kyoto Protocol: 55 Parties
of the Convention have now signed the Protocol. This is one of the conditions
to bring the Protocol into force. Japanese
Prime Minister Koizumi urges
Prime Minister Howard to sign the Protocol. |
Kelvin Thomson (Shadow
Minister for Environment and Heritage), Japan
ratifies Kyoto Protocol while Howard hedges, media release, 5 June
2002. |
5 Jun 2002 |
Australia
refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol: The Howard
Government outlines to the Australian Parliament that ratifying the Kyoto
Protocol is not in the nation’s interest. |
J Howard, ‘Answer
to Question without notice: Environment: Kyoto Protocol’, [Questioner: K
Thomson], House of Representatives, Debates, 5 June 2002, p.
3163. |
Jun 2002 |
‘Independent
review of the AGO’ released: The report
suggests the AGO’s status as an Executive Agency be revoked. It also
recommends a review of the NGS. |
WL Smith, Independent
review of the Australian Greenhouse Office, June, 2002. |
Aug 2002 |
New
climate change strategy announced: David Kemp
and Alexander Downer announce the ‘Global
greenhouse challenge: the way ahead for Australia’. The Challenge is a
four-pronged policy response designed to meet Australia’s Kyoto target and
anticipate adaptation needs. However, the Government still claims the target
“does not… provide an effective framework”. |
D Kemp (Minister for the
Environment and Heritage) and A Downer (Minister for Foreign Affairs), Global
greenhouse challenge: the way ahead for Australia, media release, 15
August 2002. |
Aug/ Sep
2002 |
The
World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (Earth Summit
2002/Rio +10): The Johannesburg Declaration is made, urging sustainable development globally. However, this
document has only one reference to
climate change. |
United Nations, Report
of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 26 August–4 September,
2002. |
Oct/ Nov
2002 |
Eighth
UNFCCC COP held in New Delhi, India: COP8
produces the Delhi
Ministerial Declaration on Climate Change and Sustainable Development,
which reinforces the need for sustainable development. |
UNFCCC, Report of the Conference
of the Parties on its eighth session, held at New Delhi from 23 October to 1
November 2002. Part one: proceedings, FCCC/CP/2002/7, 28 March 2003. |
1 Jan 2003 |
Greenhouse
Gas Reduction Scheme implemented by the NSW Government: The
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme (GGAS) is the world’s
first mandatory emission trading scheme. The GGAS employs a
baseline and credit system (rather than a cap-and-trade system). |
Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Scheme (GGAS), Introduction
to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme (GGAS), GGAS website, 30 June 2011. |
Jul 2003 |
New
strategy for emissions trading proposed: Reports
surface that an ETS plan is presented to Cabinet by federal Treasury,
Industry and Environment departments, backed by at least six government
portfolios. Following a meeting with industry, the ETS plan is set aside by
Prime Minister, John Howard. |
L Minchin, ‘Howard
blows hot and cold on emissions’, The Age, 15 November 2006, p. 4. M Bachelard, ‘PM
cans carbon trading scheme’, Weekend Australian, 30 August 2008, p.
4. |
Dec 2003 |
Ninth
UNFCCC COP held in Milan, Italy: COP9
establishes a fund to help developing countries adapt to climate change. |
FCCC, Report of the Conference
of the Parties on its ninth session, held at Milan from 1 to 12 December
2003. Part one: proceedings, FCCC/CP/2003/6, 30 March 2004. |
Jun 2004 |
Securing
Australia’s Energy Future White paper released: The paper
proposes renewable energy initiatives, including an overhaul of the fuel
excise program and funding for research and development. It reaffirms that
ratifying the Kyoto Protocol is not in the national interest, but that
Australia is on track to meet its target anyway. |
Australian Government, Securing
Australia’s Energy Future, Canberra, Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet, 2004. |
Oct 2004 |
Announcement
that the AGO will become part of the Department of Environment and Heritage: This
change is promoted as a cost-saving measure. |
Australian Government, Part 2:
Expense measures: Environment and Heritage, Budget measures: budget
paper no. 2: 2005-06. |
Nov 2004 |
Russia
ratifies the Kyoto Protocol: Developed countries with a combined total of 55% of global carbon
dioxide emissions (at 1990 levels) have now approved the Protocol. All
conditions for the Kyoto Protocol to come into force have been met. Australia still refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, stating that it is flawed. |
UN Secretary-General, UN
Secretary-General receives Russia’s Kyoto Protocol ratification, media
release, 18 November 2004. Kyoto
Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,
opened for signature 11 December 1997, [2008] ATS 2, (entered into force for
Australia 11 March 2008). |
Dec 2004 |
Tenth
UNFCCC COP held in Buenos Aires, Argentina: The Buenos
Aires Plan of Action is adopted and discussions of post-Kyoto (post-2012)
targets begin. |
UNFCCC, Report of the Conference
of the Parties on its tenth session, held at Buenos Aires from 6 to 18
December 2004. Part one: Proceedings, FCCC/CP/2004/10, 18 April 2005. |
16 Feb
2005 |
Kyoto
Protocol comes into force: Ninety
days after both conditions are met the Kyoto Protocol’s 2012 targets become
enforceable. |
UNFCCC, Status
of Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, UNFCCC website. |
9 Aug 2005 |
The
International Energy Agency (IEA) urges Australia to consider an ETS: The IEA
releases Energy
policies of IEA countries - Australia 2005 review, which notes that
Australia’s emission intensity is one of the highest in the world. It urges
Australia to consider an ETS. |
International Energy Agency
(IEA), Energy
policies of IEA countries - Australia 2005 review, 2005, IEA website. |
Nov/ Dec
2005 |
Eleventh
UNFCCC COP held in Montreal, Canada: More than
10,000 delegates discuss climate action after the Kyoto Protocol ends in
2012. |
UNFCCC, Report of the
Conference of the Parties on its eleventh session, held at Montreal from 28
November to 10 December 2005. Part one: proceedings, FCCC/CP/2005/5, 30
March 2006. |
Nov 2006 |
Twelfth
UNFCCC COP held in Nairobi, Kenya: Compliance
rules for the Kyoto Protocol are determined. An Adaptation
Fund is created to help developing countries adapt to climate change. |
UNFCCC, Report of the
Conference of the Parties on its twelfth session, held at Nairobi from 6 to
17 November 2006. Part one: proceedings, FCCC/CP/2006/5, 25 January 2007. |
10 Dec
2006 |
Prime
Ministerial Task Group on Emissions Trading is established: Prime Minister John Howard announces the creation of a
task group to provide advice on designing an ETS for Australia. |
J Howard (Prime Minister), Prime
Ministerial Task Group On Emissions Trading, media release, 10
December 2006. |
Feb-May
2007 |
IPCC
releases its fourth assessment report (AR4): The IPCC AR4 affirms with 90% certainty that increases in
global temperatures since the mid-20th century are driven by
anthropogenic greenhouse gasses. |
RK Pachauri and A Reisinger
(eds.), Contribution of Working
Groups I, II and III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, 2007. |
31 May
2007 |
‘Shergold
Report’ released: The Prime
Ministerial Task Group on Emissions Trading releases the ‘Shergold Report’ which recommends Australia develop an emissions
trading scheme. |
Prime Ministerial Task Group
on Emissions Trading, Report of
the Task Group on Emissions Trading, Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet, Canberra, 31 May 2007. |
28 Sep
2007 |
National
Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill 2007 receives royal assent: The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill 2007 requires industry to report its greenhouse gas emissions, abatement
actions, energy consumption and production. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill 2007 homepage’, Australian
Parliament website. |
21 Oct
2007 |
Prime
Minister John Howard promises an ETS if re-elected: The
Government promises to establish a national ETS, starting no later than 2012. The Climate
Change Fund is announced as an election promise. Through this fund revenue
from emissions trading is to be reinvested into climate change initiatives. |
J Howard (Prime Minister), Transcript
of the Prime Minister the Hon John Howard MP address to the Liberal Party
Federal Council, the Westin Hotel, Sydney, transcript, 21 October 2007. |
27 Oct
2007 |
Cabinet
rejects proposal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol: Reports
emerge that Malcolm Turnbull, Minister for the Environment and Water
Resources, urges Cabinet to ratify the Kyoto Protocol but is unsuccessful. |
L Taylor, ‘Cabinet
blocks Turnbull on Kyoto’, Australian Financial Review, 27 October
2007, p. 3. |
13 Nov
2007 |
National
Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility announced: A new facility
will be created to research the impacts and mitigation of climate change on
Australian industry and communities. |
M Turnbull (Minister for the
Environment and Water Resources), New
world-first research facility to equip Australia for a changing climate,
media release, 13 November 2007. |
Rudd
Government takes Office - November 2007 |
Dec 2007 |
Thirteenth
UNFCCC COP held in Bali, Indonesia – Bali Action Plan adopted: The Bali Action
Plan is adopted. This is a workplan to guide the implementing of the
UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol over the 2008–2012 period. It emphasises the
importance of a shared vision, climate change mitigation, adaption,
technology development and transfer and financial assistance to poorer
nations. |
UNFCCC, Report of the
Conference of the Parties on its thirteenth session, held in Bali from 3 to
15 December 2007. Part one: proceedings, FCCC/CP/2007/6, 14 March 2008 |
3 Dec 2007 |
The
Department of Climate Change and Water is established: The
Department of Climate Change is established within the Prime Minister and Cabinet
portfolio. |
DIICCSRTE, ‘Corporate’,
DIICCSRTE website. |
12 Dec
2007 |
Australia
ratifies the Kyoto Protocol: Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd ratifies the Kyoto Protocol, as promised during the 2007 election campaign. |
K Rudd (Prime Minister), Ratifying
the Kyoto Protocol, media release, 3 December 2007. |
Feb 2008 |
Garnaut
Review interim report released: Ross
Garnaut, Professor of Economics at the Australian National University was
commissioned by Australia's Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments to
undertake an independent review of the impacts of climate change on the
Australian economy. The interim report for the Garnaut Climate Change Review submits that Australia is
particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It also proposes that
Australia should establish effective climate policies, the centrepiece of
which should be an ETS. |
Garnaut Review, Garnaut
climate change review: interim report to the Commonwealth, state and
territory governments of Australia, February 2008. |
11 Mar
2008 |
Australia’s
ratification of the Kyoto Protocol comes into effect: The
Government issues the Initial
Report under the Kyoto Protocol detailing how Australia aims to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. |
P Wong (Minister for Climate
Change and Water), Australia
is now a part of the Kyoto Protocol, media release, 11 March 2008. |
16 Jul
2008 |
Green
paper on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) released: The green
paper outlines how the Government will implement its proposed ETS. |
Australian Government, Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme, Green paper, July 2008. |
31 Jul 2008 |
‘Strategic
Review of Australian Government Climate Change Programs’ released: The Wilkins
Review analyses current climate change programs to determine whether they
are complementary to the CPRS. |
R Wilkins, Strategic
review of Australian government climate change programs, commissioned by
the Australian Government, 31 July 2008. |
30 Sep
2008 |
Final
2008 Garnaut climate change report released: The Garnaut Review provides
a detailed analysis of the impacts of climate change on Australia and the
costs of adaptation and mitigation. |
Garnaut Review, The Garnaut climate
change review, commissioned by the Australian Government,
30 September 2008. |
30 Oct
2008 |
Australia's
Low Pollution Future: The Economics of Climate Change Mitigation released: Treasury
modelling establishes that there are benefits to Australia acting early if
other countries also adopt carbon pricing but that delaying action may lead
to higher long-term costs. |
Australian Government, Australia’s
low pollution future: the economics of climate change mitigation, 30
October 2008. |
Dec 2008 |
Fourteenth
UNFCCC COP held in Poznan, Poland An Adaptation
Fund is launched to help developing countries meet the Bali Action Plan.
Negotiations on a post-Kyoto plan continue. |
UNFCCC, Report of the
Conference of the Parties on its fourteenth session, held in Poznan from 1 to
12 December 2008. Part one: proceedings, FCCC/CP/2008/7, 14 March
2008. |
15 Dec
2008 |
‘Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme: Australia’s Low Pollution Future’ released: The White
paper outlines the final design of an Australian ETS. It also outlines
new 2020 emissions reduction targets:
- 5% below 2000 levels without any
conditions, but
- 15% below 2000 levels if there
is a ‘global agreement where all major economies commit to substantially
restrain emissions and all developed countries take on comparable reductions
to that of Australia.’
|
Australian Government, Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme: Australia’s low pollution future, White paper,
15 December 2008. |
May 2009 |
2009–10
Budget includes major changes to climate change policies:
- A new target to reduce emissions
by 25% by 2020 on 2000 levels if ‘the
world agrees to an ambitious global deal to stabilise levels of CO2 equivalent at 450 parts per million or lower by mid-century’.
- The CPRS will be delayed by one
year to 2011–12 when it will begin with a 12-month $10 fixed price.
- The establishment of an Australian Carbon Trust to help household
improve energy efficiency
- The launch of a Clean
Energy Initiative to support the development of low carbon energy.
|
K Rudd (Prime Minister), A
new target for reducing Australia’s carbon pollution and New
measures for the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, media
releases, 4 May 2009. M Ferguson (Minister for
Resources and Energy), $4.5
billion Clean Energy Initiative, media release, 12 May 2009. |
12 May
2009 |
Government
responds to the Wilkins Review: The
Government agrees to close 13 programs that were deemed not complementary to
an ETS. |
L Tanner (Minister for
Finance and Deregulation), Streamlining
the Australian government’s climate change programs and making energy
efficient choices even easier, media release, 12 May 2009. |
14 May
2009 |
First
Australian ETS legislation introduced into Parliament: The Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 is introduced into the House of
Representatives. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 homepage’, Australian Parliament website. |
9 Aug 2009 |
Australian
2020 emissions projections released: The
Department of Climate Change publishes Tracking to
Kyoto and 2020. It shows that Australia is on its way to meeting its
Kyoto Protocol target. |
P Wong (Minister for Climate
Change and Water), New
report shows carbon pollution continues to rise without action, media
release, 9 August 2009. |
13 Aug
2009 |
CPRS
legislation rejected by the Senate The second
reading of the entire suite of bills is voted down by the Senate, 42 to 30. |
J Hogg, Second
Reading, Division: Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009, Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009, Australian
Climate Change Regulatory Authority Bill 2009, Carbon Pollution Reduction
Scheme (Charges-Customs) Bill 2009, Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
(Charges-Excise) Bill 2009, Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
(Charges-General) Bill 2009, Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS Fuel
Credits) Bill 2009. Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS Fuel Credits)
(Consequential Amendments) Bill 2009, Excise Tariff Amendment (Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme) Bill 2009, Customs Tariff Amendment (Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme) Bill 2009, Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
Amendment (Household Assistance) Bill 2009, Senate, Debates, 13
August 2009. |
7 Sept
2009 |
Renewable
energy target increased to 20%: The Renewable
Energy (Electricity) Amendment Bill 2009 received royal assent. It
amends existing legislation, replacing the MRET with the Renewable Energy
Target (RET). The RET has a more ambitious renewable energy target of 20%
(45,000 GWh) by 2020. The Solar
Credits scheme is also introduced it provides multiple credits for the
installation of household rooftop solar. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Renewable
Energy (Electricity) Amendment Bill 2009’, Australian Parliament website. |
22 Oct
2009 |
Australian
ETS legislation introduced a second time: The Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 is re-introduced into the House of
Representatives. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 [No. 2] homepage’, Australian
Parliament website. |
1 Dec 2009 |
Change
of Opposition leadership voids ETS deal: Malcolm
Turnbull is defeated by Tony Abbott in a Liberal Party of Australia
leadership spill. Media reports suggest that Turnbull had reached a deal with
the government on CPRS amendments to secure Senate support from the Liberal
Party. The change of leadership rescinds any such negotiations and
agreements. |
S Stone, Sharman
Stone welcomes new leader, media release, 1 December 2009. M Cormann, Resignation
from the Shadow Ministry over ETS media release, 1 December 2009. L Knight, The
ETS deal’s done, The Land, 26 November 2009, p. 5. |
2 Dec 2009 |
CPRS
legislation again rejected by the Senate: This
creates a trigger for a double dissolution election. The trigger is not used. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 [No. 2] homepage’, Australian Parliament
website. |
Dec 2009 |
Fifteenth
UNFCCC COP held in Copenhagen, Denmark: Despite
continued discussion no agreement on binding post-Kyoto commitments can be
reached. The resulting Copenhagen
Accord, which calls for countries to populate a list of national 2020
emissions reduction targets, is noted by the COP but is not officially
accepted or legally-binding. |
UNFCCC, Report of the
Conference of the Parties on its fifteenth session, held in Copenhagen from 7
to 19 December 2009. Part one: Proceedings, FCCC/CP/2009/11, 30 March
2010. |
2 Feb 2010 |
Australian
ETS legislation introduced a third time: According
to the Second
Reading speech, this version of the CPRS bill includes amendments agreed
to by the Coalition. |
Australian Parliament, ‘Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2010’, Australian Parliament website. |
2 Feb 2010 |
Coalition
opposition party releases its climate policy: The Direct
Action Policy aims to meet the 5% emissions reduction target by offering
incentives for households and industry to do so. The centrepiece of the
policy is an Emissions Reduction Fund designed to reward businesses that emit
below a baseline and penalise those that exceed it. |
T Abbott, Direct
action on the environment and climate change, media release,
2 February 2010. |
Feb 2010 |
‘Adapting
to Climate Change in Australia – An Australian Government Position Paper’
released: This Position
paper sets out the Government’s role in and strategies for adapting to
climate change. |
Australian Government, Adapting
to climate change in Australia: an Australian Government Position Paper, DCC,
19 February 2010. |
8 Mar 2010 |
Department
of Climate Change becomes Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency: Through a
machinery of government change on 8 March 2010 the Department of Climate
Change and Energy Efficiency is established as a separate portfolio agency. Programs
from the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts are
transferred across. |
DIICCSRTE, ‘Corporate’,
DIICCSRTE webpage. |
27 Apr
2010 |
CPRS
delayed until the end of 2012: Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd announces that the CPRS will be delayed until the end of the Kyoto commitment period at
the end of 2012. |
K Rudd (Prime Minister), Transcript
of doorstop interview: Nepean Hospital, Penrith: health and hospital reform;
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme; Home Insulation Program, media
release, 27 April 2010. |
Deputy Prime
Minister Julia Gillard becomes Prime Minister after internal party challenge
– 24 June 2010 |
1 Sep 2010 |
The
Australian Labor Party agrees to a politically inclusive committee on climate
change: In order
to form a minority government after the 2010 election, Prime Minister Julia
Gillard signs agreements with the Australian Greens and three independent
Members. The Labor-Greens agreement stipulates that the Government must
establish a committee of ‘parliamentarians who are committed to tackling
climate change and who acknowledge that reducing carbon pollution by 2020
will require a carbon price’. |
‘The
Australian Greens & The Australian Labor Party (ʹThe Partiesʹ)
– Agreement’, 1 September 2010. |
27 Sep
2010 |
Multi-Party
Climate Change Committee (MPCCC) created: As
required by the Labor-Greens agreement, the MPCCC is formed. |
J Gillard (Prime Minister), Prime
Minister establishes Climate Change Committee [and] Terms of Reference,
media release, 27 September 2010. |
28 Sep
2010 |
Third
CPRS legislation lapses: The Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2010 lapses, seven months after it was
introduced, due to the start of a new parliament. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2010’, Australian Parliament website. |
Nov/ Dec
2010 |
Sixteenth
UNFCCC COP held in Cancun, Mexico : The COP
produces the Cancun
Agreements, which reinforces the main points of the Copenhagen Accord.
The six building blocks of the agreements are mitigation, transparency,
finance, technology, forestry and adaptation. A decision is made to establish
a Green
Climate Fund to finance climate action in developing countries. |
UNFCCC, Report of the
Conference of the Parties on its sixteenth session, held in Cancun from 29
November to 10 December 2010. Part one: proceedings, FCCC/CP/2010/7, 15
March 2011. |
1 Jan 2011 |
The
RET scheme is split into two parts: The Renewable
Energy (Electricity) Amendment Act 2010 comes into force. It separates
the RET scheme into the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target and the
Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Renewable
Energy (Electricity) Amendment Bill 2010 homepage’, Australian Parliament
website. |
10 Feb
2011 |
Government
launches Climate Commission: This
independent commission is designed to provide expert advice and information
on climate change to the Australian public. |
G Combet (Minister
for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency), Launch of the Climate Commission,
media release, 10 February 2011. |
31 May
2011 |
Update
of Garnaut Review released: The
government releases its commissioned report ‘The
Garnaut Review 2011: Australia in the global response to climate change’. |
Department of Climate Change, Final report: our fair share of climate action much more expensive without
carbon pricing, media release, 31 May 2011. |
24 Mar
2011 |
Legislation
is introduced for a carbon offset to create incentives for carbon avoidance
projects in the land sector: The Carbon
Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Bill 2011 creates the Carbon Farming
Initiative which is the first scheme of its kind globally. |
A Talberg, J
Gardiner-Garden, J Tomaras, Carbon
Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Bill 2011, Bills digest, 5, 2011–12,
1 July 2011, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 2011. |
9 Jun 2011 |
Productivity
Commission report concludes that Australia’s implicit cost of abatement is
not high: The report related the difficulties in the exercise of measuring and comparing implicit
country abatement costs in relation to electricity generation. However, the
findings suggest that market-based approaches are the most cost-effective. |
Productivity Commission
(PC), Carbon
emission reduction policies in key economies, May 2011, PC website. |
10 Jul
2011 |
Framework
for a new ETS released: Government
releases ‘Securing
a clean energy future: the Australian Government’s climate change plan’. It outlines the Government’s plan to cut 159 million tonnes a year of
greenhouse gases by 2020. The plan includes putting a price on carbon,
investing in renewable energy, improving energy efficiency and creating
opportunities in the land sector. |
J Gillard (Prime Minister), Securing
a clean energy future for Australia, media release, 10 July 2011. |
8 Nov 2011 |
ETS
legislation is passed by Parliament: The Clean Energy Act 2011 is a package of 18 Bills that provides the framework for an ETS starting with
a three-year fixed-price phase. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Clean
Energy Bill 2011 homepage’, Australian Parliament website. |
Dec 2011 |
Discussion
paper on implementing carbon price floor released: This discussion
paper seeks feedback for options to keep the carbon price above a set
minimum. This is to provide investment certainty. |
Australian Government, Price
floor for Australia’s carbon pricing mechanism: Implementing a surrender
charge for international units, December 2011. |
Nov/Dec
2011 |
Seventeenth
UNFCCC COP held in Durban, South Africa: The Ad Hoc Working Group on the
Durban Platform for Enhanced Action is formed. It is a UNFCCC working
group to negotiate a universal binding climate agreement for post-2020. A
second phase to the Kyoto Protocol is agreed upon. |
UNFCCC, Report of the
Conference of the Parties on its seventeenth session, held in Durban from 28
November to 11 December 2011. Part one: proceedings, FCCC/CP/2011/9, 15
March 2012. |
15 Sep
2011 |
The
Carbon Farming Initiative comes into force The Act
allows for allows farmers and land managers to earn carbon
credits by storing carbon or reducing greenhouse gas emissions on the land. |
Carbon
Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011. |
20-22 Jun
2012 |
United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20): The third international
Conference on Sustainable Development develops the non-binding document ‘The
Future We Want’. This document, agreed to by all 192 member states
(including Australia), stresses the urgent need to take action on climate
change. |
United Nations (UN), Report
of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil 20–22 June 2012, UN, 2012. |
25 Jun
2012 |
$10
billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) legislated: Legislation
is passed for the CEFC,
a $10 billion fund dedicated to investing in clean energy. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Clean
Energy Finance Corporation Bill 2012 homepage’, Australian Parliament website. |
1 Jul 2012 |
Price
on carbon comes into effect: An
unlimited number of carbon units become available for purchase at a fixed
price of $23. Part of the profit from the carbon price will be used to
compensate householders as a ‘low income tax offset’. |
G Combet (Minister for
Climate Change and Energy Efficiency), Transcript of interview with Fran Kelly: ABC Radio National
Breakfast: 2 July 2012: carbon pricing,
transcript, 2 July 2012. |
1 Jul 2012 |
Climate
Change Authority and Australian Renewable Energy Agency formed: The
Government establishes an independent
advisory body on climate change, as well as an agency for funding development of renewable
energy technology in Australia. |
J Gillard (Prime Minister), Australia’s
clean energy future, media release, 1 July 2012. |
28 Aug
2012 |
Australia
and the EU agree to link ETSs: Australia
will link its ETS with the EU’s ETS, sharing a portion of permits. Initially
the link is unilateral allowing the purchase of EU permits within Australia
but not the inverse. The link is intended to become bilateral by mid-2018.
This deal removes Australia’s carbon price floor. The deal also foreshadows
Australia joining a second period under the Kyoto Protocol. |
G Combet (Minister for
Climate Change and Energy Efficiency), Australia
and European Commission agree on pathway towards fully linking emissions
trading systems, media release, 28 August 2012. |
26 Nov – 8
Dec 2012 |
Eighteenth
UNFCCC COP held in Doha, Qatar – Bali Action Plan completed and Australia
signs on for a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol: The Doha
Amendment is passed, launching the second commitment period of the Kyoto
Protocol. Australia agrees to join a second period of the Kyoto Protocol. |
UNFCCC, Report of the
Conference of the Parties on its eighteenth session, held in Doha from 26
November to 8 December 2012. Part one: proceedings, FCCC/CP/2012/8, 28
February 2013. G Combet (Minister for Climate Change and Energy
Efficiency), Australia joins Kyoto Protocol Second Commitment as world on track to 2015
climate change agreement, joint media
release, 9 December 2012. |
19 Dec
2012 |
‘Renewable
energy target review’ released: The CCA reviews the RET target recommending that the overall target remain unchanged and that
reviews be undertaken only every four years. |
Climate Change Authority, Release of
the final report on the Renewable Energy Target Press Conference 19 December
2012, 19 December 2013. |
14 March
2013 |
‘Barriers
to Effective Climate Change Adaptation’ report released: The
Productivity Commission (PC) report identifies policy and regulatory barriers to Australia’s ability to respond
or adapt to climate change. The report provides recommendations for building
adaptive capacity. |
PC, Barriers
to effective climate change adaptation, Inquiry report, no. 59, 19
September 2012. |
Mar 2013 |
Government
responds to PC report on adaptation: The
Government agrees to the majority of recommendations in the report. |
Australian Government, Australian
Government response to the Productivity Commission report: Barriers to
effective climate change adaptation, March 2013. |
21 Mar
2013 |
Government
responds to CCA’s RET review: The
Government agreed to all but three of the 34 recommendations made in the
CCA’s report. |
DIICCSRTE, ‘Australian Government
response to the Climate Change Authority’s Renewable Energy Target Review
Final Report’, Climate Change Authority website. |
25 Mar
2013 |
Department
of Climate Change is disbanded: The
Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency is abolished. Most of its
functions are moved to the Department of Industry,
Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, with responsibility
for energy efficiency transferred to the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. |
DIICCSRTE, ‘Corporate’,
DIICCSRTE webpage. |
Labor Member
Kevin Rudd becomes Prime Minister after internal party challenge – 26 June
2013 |
16 Jul
2013 |
Government
announces intention to move to a full ETS in 2014: The
Government cites the high cost of living as a reason to bring forward by one
year the transition from a fixed price to an ETS. |
K Rudd (Prime Minister), Transcript
of joint press conference: Townsville, Qld: climate change policy; visit to
North Queensland; asylum seeker policy; election campaign, media
release, 16 July 2013. |
Jul 2013 |
‘How
Australia’s carbon price is working: One year on’ released: Report notes an increase in renewable energy generation and a reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions since the start of the carbon price mechanism. |
Australian Government, How
Australia’s carbon price is working: One year on, July 2013. |
Abbott
Government takes office – September 2013 |
18 Sep
2013 |
Dismantling
of four climate change programs begins and climate change functions moved
into Department of Environment:
- The government begins drafting
legislation to repeal the Clean Energy Act 2011
- The government abolishes the
Climate Commission
- Treasurer orders the CEFC to cease
investments
- Environment Minister announces
plans to abolish the CCA
- A new Department of the Environment
deals with matters that include renewable energy target policy, regulation
and co-ordination; greenhouse emissions and energy consumption reporting;
climate change adaptation strategy and co-ordination; co-ordination of
climate change science activities; renewable energy; greenhouse gas abatement
programmes; and community and household climate action.
|
S Maher and D Crowe, ‘Abbott
takes charge, axes mandarins’, The Australian, 19 September 2013,
p. 1. ‘Hunt gives orders to close
the Climate Change Authority’, Australian Financial Review, (online
edition), 19 September 2013, subscriber access only. T Arup, ‘Abbott
shuts down Climate Commission’, Sydney Morning Herald (online
edition), 19 September 2013. Administrative Arrangements
Order, Commonwealth of Australia, 18 September 2013. |
September
2013-Nov 2014 |
IPCC
progressively releases its fifth assessment report (AR5) over the next year: The AR5 included clearer definitions
of the risk of climate change affecting agriculture, human health, national
security and the environment as well as increased evidence supporting
human-induced climate change. |
R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer
(eds.), Climate Change 2014:
Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 151 pp. |
Oct 2013 |
Climate
Council replaces Climate Commission: Funded by
$900,000 in private donations, the Climate
Council is launched to continue the work of the disbanded Climate
Commission. |
B Schneiders, ‘Climate
Council campaign pulls in nearly $1m’, Sydney Morning Herald, 1
October 2013, p. 11. |
11 Nov –
22 Nov |
Nineteenth
UNFCCC COP held in Warsaw, Poland: The
timeline for 2015 agreement on post-2020 emission reduction target is
discussed, with a goal of state parties finalising their 2030 carbon
reduction goals by first quarter 2015. |
UNFCCC, Report
of the Conference of the Parties on its nineteenth session, held in Warsaw
from 11 to 23 November 2013. Part one: Proceedings, FCCC/CP/2013/10, 31
January 2014. |
13 Nov
2013 |
Government
introduces legislation to repeal ETS, CCA and CEFC: The Clean
Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013 is one of a package of
11 Bills repealing the ETS and some related bodies and instruments. |
K Loynes, Carbon
Price Repeal Bills: quick guide, Quick Guide, Parliamentary Library,
Canberra, 20 November 2013. |
20 Dec
2013 |
Government releases Emissions Reduction Fund Green Paper: The Green Paper describes the design of the Emission Reduction Fund,
focusing on low-cost emission reductions and streamlined administration. |
Department of the
Environment, Emissions
Reduction Fund Green Paper, Green paper, 2013. |
27 Feb
2014 |
Targets and Progress Review—Final Report released: The Climate Change Authority reviews Australia’s progress and
recommends a minimum reduction of 15% in greenhouse gas emissions from 2000
levels by 2020. |
Climate Change Authority, Reducing Australia’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Targets and Progress
Review—Final Report, 27 February 2014. |
3 Mar 2014 |
Climate Change Authority (Abolition) Bill 2013 is voted down: The Senate votes against abolishing the CCA
for a third time. This Bill will no longer proceed. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Climate Change Authority (Abolition) Bill 2013’,
Australian Parliament website. |
20 Mar
2014 |
The
remaining nine ‘carbon tax repeal’ bills are voted down: The Senate
votes against reading these bills a third time. All ‘carbon tax repeal’ bills
are no longer proceeding. |
L Cox, ‘ALP, Green senators combine to block repeal of carbon tax’, The Age, 21 March 2014. |
24 Apr
2014 |
Emissions
Reduction Fund White Paper released: The ERF
White Paper sets out the final design of the ERF, with a reduced
emissions target of 421 million tonnes of CO2-e over the period
to 2020, compared to 431 in the Green Paper. |
G Hunt (Minister for the
Environment), Emissions Reduction Fund White Paper released, media release, 24 April 2014. |
23 May 2014 |
Review
of Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas
Management Act 1989 starts: The review aims to identify areas where the legislation
can be streamlined or compliance costs reduced, as well as opportunities to
reduce emissions. The report is yet to be released. |
Department of the
Environment, ‘Ozone
Acts Review’, Department of Environment website. |
18 Jun
2014 |
The
Government introduces the first Direct Action legislation: The Carbon Farming Initiative Amendment Bill 2014 establishes the Emissions Reduction Fund, the keystone of the
Direct Action Plan. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Carbon Farming Initiative Amendment Bill 2014’, Australian Parliament website. |
23 Jun
2014 |
‘Carbon
tax repeal’ bills re-introduced to parliament: The Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013 [No. 2] and related bills are introduced for the second time. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013 [No. 2]’, Australian Parliament website. |
9 Jul 2014 |
Clean Energy (Income Tax Rates and Other Amendments) Bill 2013
[No. 2] voted down: The Senate votes against the legislation to maintain the low-income
tax offset after the abolition of the Carbon Price Mechanism. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Clean Energy (Income Tax Rates and Other Amendments) Bill 2013
[No. 2]’, Australian Parliament website. |
10 Jul
2014 |
‘Carbon
tax repeal’ bills voted down a second time: The Senate
votes down all bills except the Climate
Change Authority (Abolition) Bill 2013 [No. 2] and the Clean
Energy Finance Corporation (Abolition) Bill 2014. |
M Kenny and J Massola, ‘About-turn
by Palmer sends repeal bill back to House’, Sydney Morning Herald,
11 July 2014. |
14 Jul
2014 |
‘Carbon
tax repeal’ bills introduced a third time: A package
of all eight bills voted down in the Senate on the 10th of July is
introduced by the House of Representatives for a third time. |
Parliament of Australia, ‘Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2014’, Australian Parliament website. |
17 Jul
2014 |
Carbon
Price Mechanism repealed: The eight ‘carbon
tax repeal’ bills are passed by the Senate, coming into effect on 1 July
2014. Australia becomes the
first nation to reverse action on climate change. |
Department of the
Environment, ‘Repealing the Carbon Tax’, Department of the
Environment website. |
23 Sep |
Energy
Green Paper released: The Green Paper focuses on ‘reliable and affordable energy’, but is
criticised for lack of action on carbon emissions or renewable energy. |
I Macfarlane (Minister for
Industry and Science), Energy Green Paper setting policy direction for an energy superpower, media release, 23 September 2014. |
12 Nov
2014 |
US
and China governments make joint announcement on emission reductions: The two
nations announce bilateral cooperation to adopt a binding protocol at the
Paris COP meeting in 2015. US will aim cut emissions by 26-28% below 2005
levels by 2025 and China pledged to peak emissions around 2030. |
Office of the Press
Secretary, U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change, The White House, 11 November 2014. |
17 Nov
2014 |
Australia
and China sign climate change cooperation MOU: Under the MOU, Australia and China will cooperate to deliver
practical climate change outcomes, including through energy efficiency;
technology cooperation; and improved emissions data reporting. |
J Bishop (Minister for
Foreign Affairs), Australia-China MOU on Climate Change Cooperation, media release, 17 November 2014. |
24 Nov
2014 |
Carbon
Farming Initiative Amendment Bill 2014 passes both houses: The first
legislation of the Direct Action Plan will commence the following day. |
Carbon Farming
Initiative Amendment Act 2014. |
1 – 14 Dec
2014 |
Twentieth
UNFCCC COP held in Lima, Peru: Negotiations
towards the 2015 agreement stall as developed and developing nations argue
over who should bear the brunt of emission reduction, and over contributions
to the Green Climate Fund. |
UNFCCC, Report
of the Conference of the Parties on its twentieth session, held in Lima from
1 to 14 December 2014. Part one: Proceedings, FCCC/CP/2014/10, 2 February
2015. F Green, ‘Lima
climate conference: Slow movement on Planet UNFCC’, The Interpreter,
16 December 2014. |
10 Dec 2014 |
Australia
pledges $200 million to Green Climate Fund: $200 million over four years from the foreign aid program is pledged
to the UNFCCC Green Climate Fund. |
T Abbott (Prime Minister)
and J Bishop (Minister for Foreign Affairs), Assisting
the global response to climate change, media release, 10 December
2014. |
10 Dec
2014 |
Environment
Minister requests special review by the Climate Change Authority: The review
is to cover Australia’s future emission reduction targets, whether Australia
should have an Emissions Trading Scheme, and what action Australia should
take after the Paris meeting in 2015. |
G Hunt (Minister for the
Environment), Special
review by the Climate Change Authority, Commonwealth of Australia, 10
December 2014. |
22 Dec
2014 |
Climate
Change Authority releases Carbon Farming Initiative Review: The CCA finds that the CFI achieved some real emissions reductions,
but participation was lower than expected. |
Climate Change Authority, Carbon
Farming Initiative Review, Commonwealth of Australia, 22 December
2014. |
22 Dec
2014 |
Second
Renewable Energy Target Review released: The CCA
assessed the RET as effective and does not support scaling back the target.
However, they did propose delaying the target increase due to lack of
investor confidence. |
Climate Change Authority, 2014
Renewable Energy Target Review, Commonwealth of Australia, 22 December
2014. |
19 Jan
2015 |
Technical Advisory Forum on climate records formed: The Forum will conduct an independent quality analysis of the Bureau
of Meteorology’s long term temperature data sets, including how the data is
adjusted and analysed. |
B Baldwin (Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister for the Environment), Members of the Technical Advisory Forum on climate records announced, media release, 19 January 2015. |
28 Mar
2015 |
Setting Australia's post-2020 target for greenhouse gas emissions
Issues Paper released: The paper raises questions about what Australia’s post-2020 emission
reduction target should be, and how that target would affect the nation. |
Department of Prime Minister
and Cabinet, Setting Australia's post-2020 target for greenhouse gas emissions, Commonwealth of Australia, 28 March 2015. |
8 Apr 2015 |
Energy
White Paper released: The White Paper promotes increasing
competition and production of energy, while reducing the cost of electricity. |
I Macfarlane (Minister for
Industry and Science), Energy White Paper maps Australia's powerful future, media release, 8 April 2015. |
8 May 2015 |
Renewable
Energy Target released: The RET is
announced as 33,000 gigawatt hours, or 23.5%, of the
estimated electricity generation for 2020. |
G Hunt (Minister for the
Environment), Transcript
of doorstop interview: Melbourne: 8 May 2015: Renewable Energy Target,
press release, 8 May 2015. |
18 Jun
2015 |
Technical Advisory Forum on climate records releases report: The report found that BOM’s temperature data-set is well maintained,
but suggests that BOM refine some of its statistical methods, improve
public understanding of the program, and avoid using jargon when discussing
uncertainty. |
Technical
Advisory Forum, Australian
Climate Observations Reference Network–Surface Air Temperature (ACORN-SAT):
Report of the Technical Advisory Forum, Commonwealth of Australia, 18
June 2015. |
2 Jul 2015 |
Final
report on Australia’s future emissions reduction targets released: In the
first of the special review reports the CCA recommends a 2025
target of 30% below 2000 levels. |
Climate Change Authority, Final
report on Australia’s future emissions reduction targets,
Commonwealth of Australia, 2 July 2015. |
11 Aug
2015 |
Australia’s
post-2020 emission reduction target announced: The nation
will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% below
2005 levels by 2030. |
T Abbott (Prime Minister), J
Bishop (Minister for Foreign Affairs) and G Hunt (Minister for the
Environment), Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction target, media release, 11 August 2015. |
21 Aug
2015 |
Setting Australia's post-2020 target for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions final report released: The task force states that Australia’s post-2020 emission reduction
target is a ‘strong and fair contribution’ to the global efforts to mitigate
climate change. |
Department of the Prime Minister
and Cabinet, Setting Australia's post-2020 target for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. Final report of the UNFCCC Task Force,
Commonwealth of Australia, 21 August 2015. |
Minister Malcolm Turnbull
becomes Prime Minister after internal party challenge – 14 September 2015 |
7 October 2015 |
Federal opposition announce climate change policies: Labor commits to an Emissions Trading Scheme and 50% of Australia’s
electricity from renewable sources by 2030. |
B Shorten (Leader of the
Opposition), Speech
to All-Energy Council, Melbourne, media release, 7 October 2015. |
8 October 2015 |
The Office of Climate Change of Renewables Innovation is established: The Office brings together the Clean Energy Regulator, the Clean
Energy Finance Corporation, ARENA, the Climate Change Authority and the climate change and renewable energy functions of the Department of the
Environment. |
G Hunt (Minister for the
Environment), Government invests in maps of electricity grid to drive renewables
investment, media release, media release, 8
October 2015. |
28 October 2015 |
Government states temperature commitment: Environment Minister announces the Government is committed to
“keeping global warming to 2 degrees”. |
G Hunt (Minister for the
Environment), Address to Greenhouse 2015 Conference, speech, Hobart, 28 October 2015. |
6 November 2015 |
Australia elected to head Green Climate Fund Board: The UNFCCC fund supports small developing island
states to mitigate the impacts of climate change. |
J Bishop (Minister for
Foreign Affairs) and S Ciobo (Minister for International Development and the
Pacific), Australia to lead Green Climate Fund Board, media release, 6 November 2015. |
27 November 2015 |
Federal opposition releases emissions reduction target: Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, announces a 45% emission
reduction target by 2030, from 2005 levels, as a “basis for consultation”. |
B Shorten (Leader of the
Opposition), Labor's climate change action plan: speech to the Lowy Institute,
Sydney, speech, 27 November 2015. |
30 November – 12 December
2015 |
Twenty-first
UNFCCC COP held in Paris, France: The Paris Agreement is adopted by 195 nations, the first universal,
legally binding climate change agreement. The Agreement aims limit the
increase in global temperature to 1.5°C and to reach peak carbon emissions as
soon as possible. |
UNFCCC, Draft
report of the Conference of the Parties on its twenty-first session, FCCC/CP/2015/L.1,
8 December 2015, |
2 December 2015 |
Australia’s National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy
released: The Strategy sets out how Australia is managing
climate risks for the benefit of the community, economy and environment. |
G Hunt (Minister for the
Environment), Australia releases National Climate Resilience and Adaptation
Strategy, press release, 2 December 2015. |
6 December 2015 |
Australia establishes International Partnership for Blue Carbon: The partnership is designed to accelerate action on the use of ‘blue
carbon’ ecosystems, such as mangroves, sea grass beds and salt marshes. |
G Hunt (Minister for the
Environment), Australia establishes International Partnership for Blue Carbon, press release, 6 December 2015. |
9 December 2015 |
Government announces target of net zero emissions by 2100: Prime Minister and Environment Minister both announce at COP21
that Australia has a net zero emissions target by 2100. |
G Jennett, Capitol
Hill, ABC News 24, 9 December 2015. |
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