Thread: Keeping tabs on Australia"s newly elected Government

Yes, I agree. I love things Australian although I think Australia has been going downhill since Abbot was voted out. The first paragraph and a link is a great idea.

If Abbot was still Prime Minister, there would be conscription and 100,000 diggers in Ukraine. More than shirt-fronting is now necessary. The democratic world would be applauding.

I think I read somewhere recently that offsetting was bollocks and not working?

for the most part it is "bollocks"

Originally Posted by S Landreth

I don’t find them to be “lengthy”.

Yet . . they are . . . and plentiful.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

By the way, thank you for your support (the greens), but I want you to know I don’t and have not given out any reputation since 2017.

Deserved, and I have never expected any in return.


Of course you shouldn't feel compelled to do anything based on someone else's opinion . . .

Originally Posted by 39TG

Yes, I agree. I love things Australian although I think Australia has been going downhill since Abbot was voted out. The first paragraph and a link is a great idea.

OK, I admit I was teasing with my comment about the Mad Monk. I didn't rate him. I think Howard and even Turnbull were better. Probably the current PM too.

The current one has been in power for three shakes of a lamb's tail . . . no big issues yet. Hopefully he is good, though the last good/excellent Labor PMs were Hawke and Keating . . . and of course Gough . . . but Albanese isn't even close

• Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek blocks Clive Palmer's Central Queensland coal mines

The federal environment minister has officially blocked mining magnate Clive Palmer's bid for a new Central Queensland coal mine.

Tanya Plibersek said she rejected the project because of the risks it posed to the Great Barrier Reef, freshwater creeks and groundwater.

Last year, the newly installed minister made an initial decision to reject the project and sought public consultation.

Her department received more than 9,000 public comments, with 98 per cent in favour of blocking the project.

Ms Plibersek's decision is the first time in Australian history that a coal mine has been refused under national environmental laws.

The planned mining site was just 10 kilometres from the edge of the Great Barrier Reef world heritage area near Rockhampton.

"I have decided not to approve the Central Queensland Coal Project because the risks to the Great Barrier Reef, freshwater creeks and groundwater are too great," Ms Plibersek said in a statement.

"Freshwater creeks run into the Great Barrier Reef and onto seagrass meadows that feed dugongs and provide breeding grounds for fish."

The project would have involved the construction of two open-cut pits to extract up to 10 million tonnes of coal each year.

It was expected to operate for twenty years, with the coal exported overseas for steel production.

Although it is the first time a federal environment minister has rejected an application to develop a coal mine, the Queensland government had also recommended the rejection.

Opponents of the mine celebrated the decision, labelling it the "final nail in the coffin" for the project.

Dr Coral Rowston, from Environmental Advocacy in Central Queensland, said the mine posed too great a risk to the nearby reef.

"This is a victory for the Reef, for tourism, for communities that depend on the Reef for their livelihoods, and for all those who cherish this natural wonder," she said.

Central Queensland Coal has been contacted for comment.


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Greens: no reconstruction fund support without agreement on its mandate

The Greens say the passage of the government’s $15bn national reconstruction fund won’t be secured until an agreement has been reached about its mandate – including prohibiting coal and gas investments.

Amendments to the bill will prohibit investments in any project that involves the extraction of coal and gas or the construction of infrastructure for coal and gas use, as well as the destruction of native forests. It would also require that investments align with the government’s own legislated climate targets.

Greens leader Adam Bandt said he was “deeply concerned” about the lack of detail for the fund.

Tanya Plibersek blocks Clive Palmer’s proposed coalmine – as it happened

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• Labor urged to halve $8bn a year in fuel tax credits for trucks and heavy vehicles

The Albanese government has been urged to halve the $8bn a year in fuel tax credits it gives mining trucks, semi-trailers and other heavy vehicles, with a new report finding changes are crucial for budget repair and meeting emissions targets.

Fuel tax credits have been “gnawing away an ever-growing share of fuel tax revenue”, with only half of the current amount spent justified in economic or social terms, according to a Grattan Institute report released on Monday.

The report found the fuel tax credit scheme was “a political gift” from which large businesses mostly benefit.

Australia’s fuel tax is 47.7 cents a litre, however vehicles that only drive off-road, including trucks on mine sites and heavy machinery, are not required to pay any fuel tax.

The tax is incorporated into the cost of fuel at the bowser, with the government refunding this via fuel tax credits.

Vehicles heavier than 4.5 tonnes such as semi-trailers, buses and B-doubles only have to pay a reduced rate, and receive a partial credit of 20.5 cents.

The Grattan report notes that the issue of increasing government spending on fuel tax credits has become more significant in recent decades.

Fuel tax credits were introduced 40 years ago but more favourable conditions for larger on-road vehicles were only put in place in 1999.

The report found that 10 years ago, credits reduced gross fuel tax revenue by 30% but this figure had now grown to almost 40%.

Marion Terrill, the director of the Grattan Institute’s transport and cities program and lead author of the report, believes cutting back the credits by half could reduce the structural budget deficit by about 10%, or $4bn a year.

From an environmental perspective, Terrill argues that halving fuel tax credits would help Australia’s reach its 2050 net zero emissions target because burning diesel contributes 17% of Australia’s total carbon emissions.

“There is no business reason why larger vehicles should pay less than smaller vehicles – in fact quite the reverse, since heavy vehicles do far more damage to roads,” the report said, recommending heavy on-road vehicles pay the same rate as utes, vans, cars and small trucks used by businesses.

The report advocates that the on-road fuel tax rate “should apply to all fuel used on-road, including fuel used for powering auxiliary equipment”.

Additionally, the report recommends that off-road heavy vehicles such as trucks on mining sites still receive some form of fuel tax credit – because they are not damaging public roads – “but at a lower rate than at present, to reflect the carbon emissions and other damage they cause to the community as a whole”.

“The usual tax-policy orthodoxy is that governments should not tax business inputs, to avoid skewing business decisions about what goods and services to produce and with what inputs.

“Important as these arguments are, they don’t hold when the input itself causes harm. And that’s the situation with burning diesel.”

Terrill said cutting fuel tax credits in half would be “a win-win”. “It would shrink the budget deficit and help Australia hit net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” she said.

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• Greens will back Voice to Parliament after Lidia Thorpe quits party

The Greens are expected to support an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, just hours after Senator Lidia Thorpe quit the party to “speak freely” on the issue.

Senior sources inside the Greens party room have told SBS News it will back the Voice referendum, and will formalise that position at a meeting on Monday afternoon.

Earlier on Monday, Senator Thorpe, the Greens spokesperson for First Nations, defected to the crossbench, claiming she was unable to represent an Indigenous sovereignty movement from within the party.

Leader Adam Bandt says he attempted to persuade her to remain in the party, saying he was “enormously sad” to see her depart.

“This country has a strong grassroots black sovereign movement, full of staunch and committed warriors, and I want to represent that movement fully in this Parliament. It has become clear to me that I can't do that from within the Greens,” Senator Thorpe told reporters at Parliament House.

“Now, I will be able to speak freely on all issues ... My focus now is to grow and amplify the black sovereign movement in this country, something we have never had since this place was established.”

'At war'

Senator Thorpe will now sit on the crossbench, but confirmed she will continue to vote with the Greens on climate change issues.

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• Labor’s unlimited use of carbon offsets could lead to rise in emissions, report says

An Australian government proposal to allow big polluters to use unlimited carbon offsets as an alternative to cutting their own greenhouse gases would likely greenlight new coal and gas developments and lead to a rise in emissions, a new analysis says.

The report by Climate Analytics found land-based offsets – created through projects including tree planting and forest regeneration – had fundamental scientific problems that meant they would not deliver what was promised of them.

Carbon offsets are key to the Albanese government’s plan to revamp a failed Coalition policy, known as the safeguard mechanism, and require the country’s 215 biggest emitting facilities to cut emissions by 4.9% a year.

Under Labor’s proposal, businesses would be able to meet emissions limits by buying an unlimited number of carbon offsets, known as credits, as well as directly cutting emissions onsite. Each credit represents a tonne of carbon dioxide reduced or avoided somewhere else.

A government-ordered review of Australian carbon credits led by the former chief scientist Prof Ian Chubb last month did not accept allegations the crediting system lacked integrity, but recommended significant changes in how the scheme is managed. Climate Analytics said the review had “effectively ignored well-grounded criticism on its key methodologies from prominent experts and scientists”.

Its analysis found most land-based offsets failed to deliver genuine, new or permanent emissions reductions. It said the problems were exacerbated when offsets were used to justify more fossil fuel mining, as that ultimately resulted in far more CO2 being released into the atmosphere than was stored in vegetation when the credits were created.

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), which commissioned the report with the group Solutions for Climate, said it showed while offsets were a necessary emissions reduction tool “they should be a last resort and they are very risky”.

“They are no replacement for genuine emissions reduction on the ground,” ACF’s climate program manager, Gavan McFadzean, said.

McFadzean said a problem with the government’s plan for the safeguard mechanism was that it did not distinguish between high-emitting industries that should stay while cutting emissions, such as smelting and cement, and other industries like coal and gas which needed to be rapidly phased out.

He said the government should require businesses to follow an emissions reduction hierarchy from least to most effective ways to reduce pollution. “The best way to protect the climate is by stopping emissions going into the atmosphere in the first place. It’s not by planting trees,” he said.

The real world impact of offsets

Climate Analytics said that while companies under the safeguard mechanism could claim they were reducing their pollution by buying credits, in reality allowing unfettered use of offsets could lead to a rise in emissions and threaten the government’s ability to meet its targets, including a 43% cut by 2030 compared with 2005 levels.

“The likely result of the proposal for unlimited use of offsets is to provide a green light for new coal and gas production while allowing existing producers to continue polluting unchecked,” the report said.

n global terms, it calculated that every carbon credit used to offset one tonne of CO2 from liquified natural gas production in Australia led to about 8.4 tonnes of CO2 going into the atmosphere, once the gas was sold and burned overseas. In the case of coal, every Australian carbon credit used to offset a tonne of emissions from coalmining was associated with between 58 and 67 tonnes of CO2.

Ryan Wilson, the lead author of the report, said: “There’s a considerable real world impact of enabling fossil fuel companies to offset their emissions and continue – or even expand – production, rather than actually reduce their emissions.”

The report said forests and other natural ecosystems provided vital carbon stores that needed to be protected, but offsets from the land sector were “particularly susceptible to integrity issues” and could not be guaranteed as permanent carbon stores.

It said there was a difference between a tonne of CO2 emitted by fossil fuel industries and a tonne stored in vegetation, as the tonne in the atmosphere would have a far longer life.

The safeguard mechanism

Labor’s changes to the safeguard mechanism will become a major political focus in coming weeks. The government’s plan is backed by major business and industry groups, but is opposed by the Coalition.

It leaves the government likely needing support from the Greens and two crossbench senators to pass legislation to create a new “safeguard crediting mechanism” – a step that would allow companies that emit less than a newly set pollution limit to be rewarded.

These companies would earn a “safeguard credit” – different to existing Australian carbon credits – that could then be sold to polluters that emit more than their limit. The government says it will give businesses an incentive to cut emissions onsite.

John Connor, the chief executive of the Carbon Market Institute, which represents businesses that generate and invest in carbon credits, said the proposal would drive onsite emissions cuts, as it had to if it was to succeed.

He called on the government should require annual cuts to deliver at least a 50% reduction in national emissions by 2030, and at least 70% by 2035. But he said it would also take time before some industries could invest in the steps needed to cut pollution directly and offsets had a role to play.

“The safeguard mechanism has to pass the pub test – that it is driving decarbonisation at [its] source over time – but we can also not avoid the fact that properly regulated [credits] are climate solutions in themselves,” he said.

Connor said he did not disagree that there was a difference between absolute emissions, but said “I do despair that there’s a conflation that will mean we lose the opportunities from high integrity [credits].”

The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, has said Labor’s other proposed changes do not require legislation and can be made using regulation. The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has sharply criticised the government’s plan, accusing Labor of “gaslighting” and “greenwashing” for allowing new coal and gas mines to open and offset their emissions.

The government wants the revamped scheme to start on 1 July.

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...ns-report-says

Net zero is a furphy and will do nothing. Until The 5 biggest polluters cut their emissions directly it is just pissing in the wind. China will do nothing until a collection of climate induced natural disasters hit its people and economy. Many countries have reduced their pollution by exporting pollution intensive industries to Asia where pollution laws are less restrictive. Countries like Norway export their fossil fuel pollution to other countries. Others take advantage of mining pollution by just using materials mined and processed elsewhere. Countries should own the pollution by the amount of materials that they import/use.
If a country imports 1 ton of aluminium cans manufactured using a coal fired power station in China their CO2 output should include the Co2 output used to make the aluminium including the CO2 output from mining of the bauxite etc. IMO TEWI (total equivalent warming impact) which is generally used as a measurement of the total impact of refrigerants, would be a better measurement of a countries impact on CO2 emissions.
I would think this as an opinion site is better served with members giving their thoughts on the subject rather than endless reprints of word salads from google that i would say hardly anyone reads in its entirety and can be found by any forum member with interest in the subject. After all there is a carbon footprint attached to all facets of the internet, including this post and the many word salads above.

I see you still enjoy reading my thread.

Out of the way, denier. You’re about to get run over, again.

• Number of electric vehicles on Australian roads soars as demand exceeds supply

The number of electric vehicles on Australian roads has almost doubled over the past year, growing from 44,000 at the beginning of 2022 to more than 83,000, according to research based on sales data released in the Electric Vehicle Council’s yearly recap.

That figure is expected to top 100,000 in the coming months.

Of the 83,000 in circulation, 79% are battery electric vehicles while 21% are plug-in hybrids.

Electric vehicles accounted for 3.8% of all new vehicle sales in Australia in 2022, however their market share varies dramatically by region. Market share was strongest in the Australian Capital Territory, with almost 10% of all new cars bought in 2022 being electric, up from 5% in 2021.

lectric vehicle market share was 4% in New South Wales and Victoria and slightly more than 3% in Queensland in 2022, but just 1% in the Northern Territory.

Tesla Model 3 was the most bought EV model in 2022, with 10,877 sold, while 8,717 Tesla Model Ys were sold.

Charging infrastructure – which was seriously challenged over the summer holidays with long queues for chargers at regional facilities – has also improved, but not at the same pace as electric car sales. Public chargers increased from 3,413 in 2021 to 4,943 in 2022, with fast chargers up from 231 to 365 in the same period.

The report specifically calls for more multi-bay, ultrafast charging sites to be built in regional areas at a “reasonable spacing, so that drivers are able to recharge when making long trips”, as well as in urban areas for drivers who can’t charge their cars at their homes.

Electric Vehicle Council chief executive, Behyad Jafari, said the number of EVs in Australia would tick over to 100,000 sometime this year, with even bigger growth forecast than in 2022.

Jafari said every electric vehicle in Australia is sold out, and that they’re “often sold out within hours of being made available to the Australian market”.

“Demand far outstrips supply, Australians are lined up ready to buy electric vehicles,” he said.

Jafari said ensuring greater electric vehicle uptake was important not only for the environment, but because as a country “we don’t want to rely on foreign oil”.

“The enthusiasm is there in abundance, we just need our governments to continue the policy reform that makes it easy to transition away from the exhaust pipe.”

A preview of tomorrow’s post

• Safeguard mechanism: what is it, will it cut emissions and what role do carbon offsets play?

A vexed debate over the future of a major Australian climate policy that has been bubbling away for months is coming to a head.

The Albanese government has given itself a tight deadline to land what is possibly the most substantial step to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with its climate targets that it promised before winning power last year.

The policy is called the safeguard mechanism. It was introduced (and named, badly) by the Coalition. It was meant to limit emissions from industry but hasn’t. The previous government chose not to properly enforce it.

Labor has promised to revamp it. Part of the revamp requires legislation, which the government wants to pass in the next three weeks of parliament. The other part will be made through changes to regulation before a 1 July start.

What are the political divisions?

In the link above

What is the safeguard mechanism?

It was designed by the Coalition under Tony Abbott, ostensibly to put a limit on emissions from the country’s biggest industrial sites. It covers 215 sites that each emit more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. Together they produce 28% of Australia’s emissions.

Roughly half the facilities are fossil fuel operations – gas extraction sites, liquified natural gas processing plants and coalmines. Unless carbon capture and storage miraculously becomes viable, these facilities will need to make reductions now and ultimately be phased out if Australia is to address the climate crisis.

The rest of the facilities should have a long future but need cleaner ways of operating. They include steelworks, aluminium smelters, cement producers, chemical manufacturers, major transport companies and airlines.

After coming to power in 2013 the Coalition abolished a functioning carbon pricing scheme that had required polluters to pay for their CO2. Its replacement was a “direct action” policy to buy some emissions cuts using taxpayers’ funds. The safeguard mechanism was introduced at the same time to stop industrial emissions increasing and wiping out the cuts paid for by taxpayers.

Each big polluting facility was given an emissions limit – known as a baseline – based mostly on historic output. But with few exceptions the baselines were not enforced. Polluters were allowed to increase their limits. A bunch of new polluters opened – including several big emitting LNG plants – adding to national pollution, and industrial emissions increased significantly.

What is Labor planning?

In the link above

What about new fossil fuel proposals?

This is one of the two big concerns held by people concerned it won’t do enough to cut emissions – and it is the major sticking point between Labor and the Greens.

Official emissions projections last year assumed several gas projects – including Scarborough in northern Western Australia, the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory and Narrabri in New South Wales – will go ahead. New and expanded coalmines are also proposed. The government says it won’t stop new fossil fuel developments if investors believe there is demand for coal and gas and if the developments are approved under environmental laws (which mostly don’t consider the impact of a project’s emissions).

Bowen says initial emissions baselines for these developments would be set at “international best practice”, and that the design leaves room for new projects to go ahead and the country to still meet its 43% emissions reduction target for 2030.

From a scientific basis, the Greens are on solid ground. The International Energy Agency, the UN and the globe’s climate science bodies have warned that the world must stop opening new gas and oilfields and coal plants and make deeper emissions cuts this decade if it is to stay within safe limits of global heating and reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Labor’s position is based on electoral politics and the argument that fossil fuel exports can continue while there are buyers.

What happens now?

In the link above

Will the safeguard mechanism actually cut emissions?

We will see if the two parties can find middle ground – and whether the government can win support from two of the independent senators from among David Pocock, ex-Green Lidia Thorpe and the Jacqui Lambie Network.

More heated rhetoric over the division appears inevitable but some of this is for show. The Greens know Labor won’t back their coal and gas demand. Sarah Hanson-Young summed things up when she said it was an “offer, not an ultimatum”.

But the minor party has signalled the territory on which it wants to negotiate – restrictions on new fossil fuel developments. Bowen has said Labor is open to talking about the detail but won’t do anything at odds with the policy it took to the election.

This is a more difficult question to answer than it should be. There has been some over-the-top criticism claiming there is no difference between Labor and the Coalition on climate. This clearly isn’t true. Labor’s plan can, and should, lead to genuine CO2 reductions.

But despite Labor suggesting otherwise, its success will clearly in part turn on the number and scale of new fossil fuel developments. It will also be shaped by the extent to which companies rely on carbon offsets rather than making cuts onsite, and the integrity of those offsets.

Offsets have become a divisive issue but there is a pretty basic principle that is sometimes lost – you can’t offset your way to dealing with the climate crisis. Emissions reductions will need to be deep and direct.

High-quality offsets can play a role when used by industries that genuinely don’t have options to make direct cuts, or that want to drive even deeper cuts than they can onsite. And projects that store CO2 in the landscape are clearly needed.

What’s the problem with offsets?

How big a role will offsets play?

Both in the link above.

• Clive Palmer-owned company withdraws appeal against ruling that coalmine would worsen climate crisis

A Clive Palmer-owned mining company has withdrawn its appeal against a landmark ruling that its giant thermal coalmine project would worsen the climate crisis and infringe on the human rights of future generations.

Lawyers for Waratah Coal have told Queensland’s supreme court it was discontinuing its appeal against the state’s land court decision in a case brought by First Nations young women and environmentalists.

The company’s Galilee Coal project, in the Galilee Basin, wants to mine 4om tonnes of coal a year, making it Australia’s biggest thermal coalmine.

But in November the president of the Queensland land court, Fleur Kingham, said the emissions from the burning of the coal would, through its effects on global heating, limit the human and cultural rights of First Nations people and young Queenslanders.

Lawyers for Waratah Coal went to the state’s supreme court in December to challenge the decision, but withdrew the appeal on Friday.

The land court’s decision will now have to be considered by the government, which must approve or refuse an environmental authority for the mine and a mining lease.

A spokesperson for Palmer would not comment on the decision to withdraw the appeal or on the future of the project, saying only: “That’s a secret. You will have to wait and see what the next play is”.

The export-focussed Galilee Coal proposal is one of a number of projects over the last decade to have designs on the vast coal resource of the Galilee basin. So far only one, Adani’s Carmichael mine, has gone ahead.

Murrawah Johnson, a co-director at Youth Verdict that brought the case for young First Nations people, said the case “allows more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to object to climate-destroying fossil fuel projects proposed throughout Queensland in defence of First Nations cultures and our collective future”.

She said: “We now call on the Queensland government to reject Clive Palmer’s Waratah mining lease and environmental approval applications.”

Sharyn Munro, of the Bimblebox Alliance, which also brought the case, said the court’s refusal “has dethroned king coal, removing its previously unreasonable rights over all else”.

She also paid tribute to the late climate scientist Prof Will Steffen who died last month after giving expert evidence in the case.

Alison Rose, a senior solicitor at the Environmental Defenders Office, said it was significant that Kingham’s decision now stands.

“This mine would have destroyed the Bimblebox Nature Refuge and added 1.5bn tonnes of climate pollution to the atmosphere, undermining hopes of limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degrees,” she said.

“This case marks a line in the sand and sends a very clear message – continued development of coal in 2023 is incompatible with our human rights.”
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• $1.5 billion Clean Energy Superpower Fund

More families are set to save on their energy bills thanks to a $1.5 billion Clean Energy Superpower Fund which will help fast track more rooftop solar, community batteries, big grid batteries and pumped hydro right across NSW.

A re-elected Liberal and Nationals Government will fast track the transformation of the NSW electricity system by setting up a $1.5 billion Clean Energy Superpower Fund, comprised of the Transmission Acceleration Fund and new funding to support the delivery of renewable energy storage and grid security projects, such as pumped hydro and batteries.

The government will also invest a further $23 million to kickstart the expansion of the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap to cover rooftop solar and small-scale batteries and to unblock local grid constraints to allow more people to produce and share energy locally.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said that Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine had caused a global energy crisis, and the Government’s immediate plan was to cap coal prices and reward households with $250 for shopping around for a better energy deal to improve competition in the market.

“The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government’s long term economic plan includes rolling out our Roadmap – the most ambitious renewable energy policy in the nation – which is expected to attract $32 billion in private investment and support more than 9000 jobs by 2030,” Mr Perrottet said.

Treasurer and Minister for Energy Matt Kean said there are currently 813,000 rooftop solar systems installed in NSW, saving each household up to $600 a year off energy bills, with this figure projected to grow to 1.5 million by 2030.

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• Carbon offset limits.: Australia and Kazakhstan top charts

Australia remains on par with climate laggards when it comes to using unlimited offsets to meet its emissions reduction target – even after Labor’s attempt to strengthen its signature climate policy, the safeguard mechanism.

As mentioned by Senator David Pocock on national radio this morning, Australia and Kazakhstan are the only countries in the world that will allow big polluters access to 100% unlimited offsets.

This is compared to countries that have zero reliance on offsets to reduce climate pollution in domestic emission trading schemes, like New Zealand, the UK, Germany and the European Union.

“The Albanese government has spent the last nine months working hard to improve our climate credentials and reputation on a global level – and it could very easily unravel,” ACF Climate program manager Gavan McFadzean said.

“The concept of unlimited offsets is seriously flawed and it needs urgent amendment before the bill is introduced.

“For wealthy coal and gas companies, unlimited offsets are like cheap tickets to keep polluting business as usual.

“We urge the government to revise its design so the scheme can actually become an effective tool to cut emissions from Australia’s major polluters – we can’t offset our way to net zero.

“Offsets should only be used as an absolute last resort, should not be available for coal and gas companies, should only be accessed once a company can prove it is genuinely making efforts to reduce carbon and should phase down as a share of the safeguard mechanism over time. Plus Australia’s carbon offsets industry needs greater scrutiny and regulation.”

New research, released by ACF, reveals every tonne of carbon emitted from the fossil fuel industry stays in the atmosphere for far longer than the life of a land-based offset which in Australia, at best, is guaranteed for only 100 years.

For each tonne of carbon released into the atmosphere, around 40% remains after 100 years, 20 to 25% remains after 1,000 years, and up to 20% after 10,000 years, centuries after a land-sector offset stops absorbing carbon.

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• Australian Government Breaching Consumer Law Following Four Corners

Australia Institute takes government’s carbon offset scheme to ACCC

The Australia Institute has filed a complaint with the ACCC on the basis that the Australian Government’s ‘carbon neutral’ certification scheme, Climate Active, may be misleading and deceptive under consumer law.

“On the one hand government regulators are trying to crack down on greenwash, and on the other hand the government is certifying greenwash. Its no wonder the public don’t know what to believe,” said Polly Hemming, Acting Climate & Energy Program at the Australia Institute.

“Gas companies should not be allowed to grow their emissions while lauding carbon neutral claims but they are and what is worse the federal government is certifying it.

“The country is suffering from state-sponsored greenwashing and it is undermining Australia’s emission reduction efforts and international reputation.

“Promoting fossil fuel companies as climate leaders punishes companies with legitimate climate ambition. It rewards greenwashing while credible claims are unrecognised and unrewarded.”


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• NSW calls on Anthony Albanese to block Pep-11 licence after proposing offshore drilling ban

The New South Wales government has ramped up pressure on Anthony Albanese to block a controversial gas exploration licence off the state’s coast, calling on Labor to pass legislation banning offshore drilling.

On Wednesday the NSW treasurer, Matt Kean, announced the Coalition would pass legislation if re-elected in March to ban offshore coal, gas, mineral and petroleum production in the state’s waters.

The promised legislation comes after the federal court on Tuesday quashed the former prime minister Scott Morrison’s move to block an extension of the controversial Pep-11 gas exploration permit.

The decision came after the Albanese government and Asset Energy had previously agreed to end the case, effectively vacating Morrison’s decision and reopening the prospect of the Pep-11 licence being granted by the federal government.

NSW calls on Anthony Albanese to block Pep-11 licence after proposing offshore drilling ban | NSW election 2023 | The Guardian

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• Council turns to solar and storage to cut energy costs

Cabonne Shire Council will push ahead with plans to construct a 4 MW solar farm and battery energy storage system at Eugowra in the New South Wales (NSW) central west after securing more than $1.5 million (USD 1.04 million) in funding from the state government.

The funding, allocated as part of the state government’s Resources for Regions program, will allow council to plan, build and install the proposed $4 million Eugowra Solar Farm.

The project, to be built on an eight-hectare site about two kilometres south of Eugowra, will comprise PV panels mounted on a PEG frame system featuring steel rods driven into the ground, eliminating the need for concrete footings. Application documents indicate the panels will be mounted in a dual east-west static configuration to maximise higher yields in the morning and afternoon.

The facility will connect to the grid via Essential Energy’s existing 11 kV distribution line which is located near the project site.

The project is also expected to include a battery with the development application outlining plans for the deployment of energy storage units of an unspecified technology or capacity “to store power for electricity use at night.”

“Phase two is currently being analysed but will form a natural progressive step to fully utilise the power generated by the solar farm,” the application reads. “Phase two would consist of two power storage units. This may be in various forms such as a battery or alternative energy storage systems such as hydrogen.”

Cabonne Shire Mayor Kevin Beatty said the Eugowra Solar Farm project will bring down energy expenses across all 85 council-owned sites and help council achieve its renewable energy targets.

https://www.pv-magazine-australia.co...-energy-costs/

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• Greens will back safeguard mechanism revamp if Labor bans new coal and gas projects

The Greens say they will pass the Albanese government’s planned overhaul of the safeguard mechanism – a climate policy promised to cut industrial emissions – if Labor is prepared to stop new coal and gas projects.

Instead of seeking to limit the number of carbon credits businesses can use to meet their new obligations to reduce pollution, the Greens party room resolved on Tuesday to narrow the focus to securing a ban on new coal and gas either through an amendment to the safeguard legislation, or a new “climate trigger” in environmental law.

The Greens have been signalling for months they want the Albanese government to stop new coal and gas projects. Labor says it has no electoral mandate to do that, and that new developments would be allowed with initial emissions limits set at “international best practice”.

Australian Greens Leader Adam Bandt speaks to media during a press conference outside the Commonwealth Parliament Offices in Melbourne, Monday, December 12, 2022. (AAP Image/Luis Ascui) NO ARCHIVING

But the Greens will occupy the kingmaking position in the Senate because the Coalition has resolved to oppose Labor’s safeguard revamp despite proposing similar measures before the Morrison government lost the election last May.

https://www.theguardian.com/australi...d-gas-projects

How fkin weird are you?

This morning....

‘Happy to have a look at suggestions that are put on the table’

‘Offer not an ultimatum’: Greens willing to negotiate on proposed fossil fuel ban to pass Labor's climate safeguard reforms

Greens leader Adam Bandt has indicated his party is willing to negotiate on the safeguard mechanism reforms Labor is currently battling to pass.

Mr Bandt spoke exclusively to Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell about the bill, which the Coalition has refused to back.

The minor party has vowed to block Labor’s signature climate policy unless the government included a ban all new on coal and gas projects.

When asked what else the government could do to obtain the Greens’ support for the bill, Mr Bandt reiterated his party had given an “offer, not an ultimatum”.

“If Labor has a different way of dealing with the question of coal and gas," he said.

Mr Bandt highlighted climate triggers and the potential for a pause on new coal and gas projects as moves the Greens would be willing to look at in order to pass Labor’s legislation.

“We’re happy to have a look at suggestions that are put on the table about how to deal with this question of coal and gas,” he told Mr Clennell.

Little more from the Guardian….

Sky News asked Bandt whether he accepted that if the government took up the Greens’ position it would lose the next election.

Bandt replied:

Absolutely not. Things have moved on, and I think the government hasn’t really picked up how much people want more climate action … this would be enormously popular.

Bandt said if Labor had a different way of dealing with new coal or gas, the Greens were happy to consider that. He nominated a climate trigger or a pause on approvals to allow for a holistic review as options:

It’s a very good-faith compromise offer that we’re putting on the table that sees us shift a huge way from the position we took to the election … it just says don’t make the problem worse.

• Greens leader Adam Bandt

Starts at 13:00

Greens leader Adam Bandt says the onus is now on Labor to explain why new coal and gas projects are needed as he flagged the party was open to negotiating on the government's key climate change policy.

Last week, the Greens announced they would offer their support for the government's changes to the safeguard mechanism on the single condition that Labor block any new coal and gas projects from being developed.

The mechanism is the core of the government's plan to reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 and would cap the emissions of Australia's 215 heaviest-polluting companies.

Despite its announcement, Mr Bandt has characterised the party's position as an "offer, not an ultimatum" and indicated it would be open to "good faith discussions" with the government for its support.

With Labor repeatedly saying it would not agree to any ban on new projects, that appears to be a likely outcome.

But Mr Bandt said, as a start, the government will have to explain why any new projects are needed.

"The onus is on Labor to explain why it needs more coal and gas in a climate crisis," he said.

The Greens leader pointed out the party had compromised on a number of other policies to support the government's agenda and that "there is one thing we are asking for: don't make the problem worse".

Mr Bandt said despite those compromises, he believed the party's voter base could see they were the party with the strongest ambitions on climate change policy.

"I think people can see that we are the only ones in parliament at the moment fighting to stop coal and gas mines being opened," he said.

Government frontbencher Ed Husic said the election result proved voters want their parliament to work and Labor wanted to have a constructive approach to dealing with all parties, including crossbenchers.

"It is a moment in time to get things right," he said.

Cabinet minister Mark Butler argued it was not just the Greens who should get behind the legislation and that the Coalition could, and should, see the changes clear parliament to "put the climate wars behind us".

__________

• Teal independents join farmers in Liverpool Plains to oppose Santos gas development

City-based teal independents have crossed the great dividing range to support Pilliga and Liverpool Plains farmers and traditional owners fighting a Santos coal seam gas project and the accompanying Hunter gas pipeline.

North Sydney MP Kylea Tink, who grew up in Coonabarabran on the edge of the Pilliga, returned to NSW’s north-western slopes on Wednesday with fellow independent Sophie Scamps to hear the concerns on local landholders.

They were invited by the former federal independent Tony Windsor, who has a farm in Werris Creek on the Liverpool Plains.

The battle over the project has come to a head after Santos restarted seismic testing in the area in late January. Santos has also started contacting landholders to gain access for the Hunter gas pipeline, which the NSW government declared critical state-significant infrastructure for “economic reasons” in December last year.

Although Santos holds two petroleum exploration licences south of the 95,000 hectare Narrabri coal seam gas project, it has yet to confirm its plans. Santos did not respond to questions from Guardian Australia.

It comes as the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, last week approved another project by Santos to open 116 new coal seam gas wells in Queensland’s Surat Basin.

_________

• Australia to make area the size of Germany a marine park in Southern Ocean

The Australian government plans to make an area about the size of Germany in the Southern Ocean a marine zone, strengthening protections around Macquarie Island for millions of penguins and seals.

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, announced that the government wants to triple the size of the Macquarie Island marine park, describing it as a globally significant contribution to marine conservation that would put 388,000 sq km under high protection.

“Macquarie Island Marine Park is a remote wildlife wonderland – a critical habitat for millions of seabirds, seals and penguins,”Plibersek said. “Expanding and increasing the protection of the waters surrounding Macquarie Island will allow us to better manage this important ecosystem for the future.”

The island between Tasmania and Antarctica is an important feeding and breeding ground for seabirds, penguins and seals.

The 34km-long strip of land and surrounding waters are habitat for species including royal penguins, southern rockhopper penguins, subantarctic fur seals, southern elephant seals, black-browed albatrosses and grey petrels.

The government will open the proposal for public consultation and says the plan will allow for the continuation of the small Patagonian toothfish fishery.

Plibersek said the expansion of the marine park would increase the amount of protected area in Australia’s oceans to 48.2%.

The announcement was welcomed by conservationists: “If approved it will provide a refuge to help the island’s iconic species adapt to the changing climate,’” said Emily Grilly, the Antarctic conservation manager at WWF-Australia.

************

But the fishing industry said it was concerned about the proposal, with Seafood Industry Australia describing it as “an ocean-grab funded by international activists with no basis in science, designed to tarnish the sustainably managed Toothfish Fishery”.

“The redesign of the park represents a serious overreach by the Minister that will send shockwaves through the Australian communities and regions who rely on marine estates for employment, tourism and recreation,” the association’s chief executive Veronica Papacosta said.

“This is nothing more than a green-washed PR stunt designed to garner the support of the Greens and teal-independents, while making the eNGOs happy.”

_________

• Offshore wind farm proposed for Hunter coast, Chris Bowen calls for community feedback

The federal government has announced a plan to develop an offshore wind farm zone off the New South Wales Hunter region that would have the capacity for hundreds of turbines.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen was in Newcastle on Thursday to ask for community feedback.

"The zone has the capacity to create up to eight gigawatts of power — enough to power six million homes," he said.

"It has the capacity to create 4,800 construction jobs and 2,400 ongoing jobs."

The Hunter is one of six priority regions around Australia that the government has flagged as having offshore wind potential.

The Commonwealth recently declared Gippsland, in Victoria, as the first region in Australia to be home to a new offshore wind industry.

Mr Bowen said the project would help Australia transition to clean energy.

"It's important for our plans to get our national energy grid to 82 per cent renewable by 2030 and reduce our emissions by 43 per cent by 2030," he said.

With multiple coal-fired power stations in the Hunter, including Liddell, Eraring and Bayswater, scheduled to shut down in future years, Mr Bowen also highlighted the need for new sources of energy.

"This is important because it creates energy," he said.

_________

• Australian renewable energy struggles to hit grid with one solar farm wasting half its yearly output

Renewable energy plants are struggling to supply all their output to customers, with one plant in New South Wales wasting half of its output over a full year.

Resolving congestion on the main electricity grid will top the agenda on Friday at the first meeting of federal, state and territory energy ministers in 2023.

*******

SmartEnergyCouncil - Huge congratulations to @Bowenchris and all energy ministers for listening to the renewable energy industry, a great outcome today.

Read our submission: https://twitter.com/SmartEnergyCncl/...46006820925441 - https://smartenergy.org.au/articles/...ssion-summary/ - https://www.theguardian.com/environm...-yearly-output

Energy Security Board Transmission Access Reform Submission Summary

The Smart Energy Council welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Energy Security Board’s Transmission Access Reform Directions Paper.

The Smart Energy Council is the peak independent body for Australia’s smart energy industry, representing around 1000 residential, commercial and large-scale renewable generation and storage, smart transport companies, as well as the renewable hydrogen and ammonia industry.
__________

• Australia’s big emitters could cut CO2 by 90% by 2050 without offsets, report finds

Some of Australia’s largest heavy industrial companies have backed a report that says they could cut direct greenhouse gas emissions in their supply chains by more than 90% by 2050, and not have to rely heavily on carbon offsets.

The report, by the Australian Industry Energy Transitions Initiative (ETI), prepared over three years by Climateworks Centre and the CSIRO, found the industrial transition would cost the equivalent of $21bn a year over three decades if Australia were to play its part in trying to limit global heating to 1.5C.

It has landed during a political debate over the safeguard mechanism, the Coalition policy that the Albanese government says it wants to revamp to reduce the CO2 emitted by Australia’s 215 biggest polluting industrial facilities. The Greens have offered to support Labor’s plan if it agrees not to approve any more coal and gas mines, a step the government says it will not take.

The report, Pathways to industrial decarbonisation, looked at five major supply chains for industries – including iron, steel, aluminium, chemicals and liquified natural gas (LNG). It found they could cut annual CO2 from 221m tonnes in 2020 to 17m tonnes by mid-century while steel and iron production rose by nearly 20% and aluminium production by more than 30%.

While major gas companies have flagged continuing LNG expansions, the report estimated its production would slump after 2025 to little more than 20% of today’s levels in 2040.

Anna Skarbek, the chief executive of the Climateworks Centre, based at Monash University, said about two-thirds of the estimated required – equivalent to $20.8bn a year over a 30-year period – was needed in the energy system as it shifted to renewable sources, the rest in technology for industrial, electrification and energy efficiency.

While large, she said the investment was equivalent to just a tenth of the $236bn a year export value of the five supply chains examined and was comparable to other major investments.

“The transition is an investment in modernising Australia’s industrial regions and energy system,” she said.

The industry initiative worked with companies responsible for about a fifth of the country’s industrial CO2 and a third of the market value of the ASX100. Its report included supporting statements from the Australian Industry Group, BHP, Orica, Rio Tinto and some major banks and super funds.

Woodside Energy, which is planning a large fossil fuel expansion, was also involved. It said it was pleased to receive the report and the recommendations “deserve careful consideration”.

Simon McKeon, the chair of the ETI, a businessman and former Australian of the Year, said the report found a combination of “strong ambition, coordinated action and government support” could lead to industrial emissions being cut by up to 92% by 2050 compared with 2020 levels.

“This, with high quality and verifiable offsets for the remaining 8%, would transition industry to net zero emissions in support of the ambition to limit warming to 1.5ºC,” he said.

The use of offsets in the proposed safeguard mechanism changes has become a contentious issue after criticism of carbon credits created through forest regeneration projects. The government has proposed allowing unlimited offsets under the scheme.

The report was to be launched in Sydney on Monday by the climate change minister, Chris Bowen, and the Lord Adair Turner, a former chair of the UK Financial Services Authority.

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...s-report-finds

___________

• BHP told investors on Tuesday that its underlying profit for the six months to December had fallen by 32 per cent to a weaker-than-expected $US6.5 billion ($9.4 billion) after strict COVID-19 lockdowns in China and concerns about an economic slowdown pummeled the price of iron ore.

Its shareholders will receive an interim dividend of US90¢ a share ($1.30), down from $US1.50 it paid out at the same time last year. The company also confirmed it had launched a process to sell its Daunia and Blackwater metallurgical coal mines that it jointly owns with Mitsubishi in Queensland, as it begins to reposition its portfolio away from fossil fuels.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/bus...21-p5cm3a.html

• Adam Bandt says Greens could support key Labor climate policy if fossil fuels developments paused

The Greens say they could support the Albanese government’s changes to the safeguard mechanism – a key climate policy – if it agreed to pause new fossil fuel developments until the parliament has dealt with planned changes to national environment laws.

The Greens’ leader, Adam Bandt, said he could be open to other ways of dealing with coal and gas other than the outright ban it has proposed, including a suggestion by the Climate Council that the government halt approvals until reform of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act is worked through later this year.

The minor party is pushing for the EPBC Act to include a climate trigger, which would for the first time require the environment minister to consider the climate impact of a major development during the approval process.

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has not supported a climate trigger but Labor has backed one in the past. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, introduced an unsuccessful climate trigger bill while opposition environment spokesperson in 2005.

Speaking on Guardian Australia’s Australian Politics podcast, Bandt raised the Climate Council proposal and said the Greens were happy to also look at other suggestions as long as they dealt with “the desire to keep opening up coal and gas mines and also the fact that pollution from coal and gas grows under the government scheme, potentially”.

“We would look at all those suggestions that are put on the table and we would consider them in good faith,” he said.

“From our perspective, what we’re saying is we’ve got to deal with this question of opening up new coal and gas mines because that’s not only untenable, and is going to put a safer climate out of reach, but it’s even going to make meeting … the government’s own targets more difficult.”

___________

• Greens announce plan to slash energy prices and repower economy

The Greens have today launched their plan to decarbonise the economy and deliver affordable renewable energy, for every household ahead of the NSW election.

“Privatisation of the electricity market in NSW has clearly failed. Households and businesses are being plunged into energy poverty, paying escalating and exorbitant prices for their electricity – all while the big polluting coal and gas companies continue to rake in obscene profits,” Greens MP and spokesperson for Treasury and Energy, Abigail Boyd

“Our plan will deliver affordable renewable energy – for every household.

“The plan will see NSW take back control over our power supply and ensure we are never again at the mercy of the private market for our essential energy needs.

“Renters and low income households face the highest energy bills because of inadequate insulation and inefficient appliances, and a lack of access to self-sufficient technologies like solar panels and batteries.

“We’re heading towards a future where those with the most are insulated from the volatility of the energy market, while more vulnerable households are totally subject to the profit motives of private business.

“We must take back control over our power supply and ensure that we are never again at the mercy of the private market for our energy needs.

“By phasing out coal and gas power plants, investing in offshore and onshore wind, solar and energy storage and updating the electricity grid, we can repower our economy and society with clean energy.

___________

• First "border-to-border" EV charging network for South Australia launches first 12 sites

South Australia’s first “border-to-border” electric vehicle charging network is starting to open up, with the first 12 of 140 new stations launched this week – built by Chargefox.

Chargefox says the 12 sites, developed for the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia in partnership with the state government, add 59 new plug-in points for EV drivers, with hundreds more to follow in the coming months.

The RAA Charge network will be made up of 86 AC fast charging stations (capable of up to 7kW output), and 54 DC Rapid (up to 150kW) and Ultra-Rapid (up to 200kW) charging stations in metropolitan, regional and rural locations.

The first sites include Marion, West Lakes, Strathalbyn, Hahndorf, Woodside, Mount Gambier and five Adelaide CBD UParks.

In a post on LinkedIn, RAA says that once completed, the network will span Bordertown to the Border Village and from Mount Gambier up to Marla.

__________

• Woodside’s latest report a ‘fail’ despite profit more than tripling, climate activists say

Woodside faces more challenges of its climate stance at its upcoming shareholders gathering with activist groups dismissing its latest annual report as a “fail”.

The energy giant on Monday released its climate report 2022 while also revealing its underlying profit had more than tripled to US$5.2bn ($7.7bn). A 63% increase in energy prices to US$98.40 a barrel of oil equivalent in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine buoyed results that fell about 9% shy of investors’ expectations.

Climate activists, though, focused on meagre progress by the oil and gas producer on its pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Last May, 49% of shareholders rejected Woodside’s climate plan and climate groups will test sentiment at April’s annual general meeting of shareholders.

According to Woodside, the company would stick to its plan to cut so-called scope 1 emissions resulting from production of the fossil fuels 15% by 2025, compared with an average over 2016-20 that includes oil assets acquired from BHP last year. By 2030, the reduction should be 30%, with the company on an aspirational 2050 net-zero path.

“Woodside aims to thrive through the energy transition by building a low-cost, lower carbon, profitable, resilient and diversified portfolio,” the company said.

The company has also set aside US$5bn of “targeted investments in new energy products and lower carbon services by 2030” that are aimed at helping customers reduce the scope 3 emissions resulting from burning the oil and gas. As of the end of last year, Woodside had spent more than $100m of that total on ventures ranging from electrolysers to “carbon-to-products technology”.

The company also said it set an internal long-term “cost of carbon” at US$80 a tonne in determining priorities of pursuing emissions reduction projects. That tally was about four times the current price of Australian carbon credits, it said.

Woodside is already one of Australia’s largest greenhouse gas emitters. Critics say projects such as the Woodside-led Burrup Gas Hub will produce as much as 6bn tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent pollution, or about 12 times Australia’s current annual emissions.

______________

• Australian startup Recharge finalises deal to take over UK battery maker Britishvolt

The Australia-based company Recharge Industries will take over collapsed battery maker Britishvolt after finalising a deal with administrators late on Sunday in the UK.

The agreement revives hopes for the construction of a £3.8bn (A$6.7bn) “gigafactory” in northern England, the backbone of a plan to modernise the British automotive industry and supply the next generation of UK-built electric vehicles.

The deal was finalised three weeks after Recharge, an Australian company that sits under New York-based investment firm Scale Facilitation, was nominated as preferred bidder, placing a huge opportunity, and burden, on a startup yet to construct a project.

Australian startup Recharge finalises deal to take over UK battery maker Britishvolt | Renewable energy | The Guardian

____________

• Australia must set targets for amount of CO2 to be removed from air, scientists say

Australia should set targets for the amount of carbon dioxide that could be pulled permanently from the atmosphere using “carbon drawdown” techniques like tree planting and direct air capture, according to a report from the Australian Academy of Science.

A national coordinated approach is urgently needed to promote projects that remove carbon dioxide from the air, the report says, with a lack of policies seeing Australia fall behind other countries.

In a foreword to the report, the academy’s president, Prof Chennupati Jagadish, said it was clear if the world was to keep global heating to 1.5C, then CO2 removal would need to be deployed at the same time as rapidly cutting emissions.

“Humanity cannot afford to underestimate the urgency and magnitude of this task,” he wrote.

Approaches that fall under carbon dioxide removal include tree planting, stopping deforestation, increasing carbon in soils, protecting carbon stored in coastal ecosystems and using machines to pull CO2 directly from the air and lock it away.

Australia had “limited mechanisms to support the development and deployment of many negative emissions solutions” the report said, especially those apart from retaining and increasing the carbon stored in trees or storing CO2 underground.

Prof Deanna D’Alessandro of the University of Sydney, one of the experts that helped coordinate the report, said Australia’s conversation around carbon dioxide removal was a decade behind other countries.

“Our economy and sociopolitical environment has been driven by fossil fuels,” she said.

“It’s only recently that the moral hazard argument around mitigation has been dealt with and we have only just shifted past that. But the opportunities for Australia are enormous and we have a massive responsibility because of our contribution to the greenhouse gas problem.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...scientists-say

little more........

• Future emissions from coal and gas production 'likely to dwarf estimates'

Future emissions from existing and new Australian coal and gas production are likely to dwarf official government estimates and undermine the Albanese government’s planned revamp of the climate change policy known as the safeguard mechanism, according to a new analysis.

Key findings

• Our projections show that emissions from existing, committed and proposed new and expanded LNG and coal mine projects will, on their own, would lead to emissions amounting to 83-112 MtCO2 per year in 2030.
• This would exceed the 100 MtCO2e Safeguard Mechanism baseline emission limit for all facilities in 2029/30. In other words, if all potential LNG and coal projects go ahead, their resulting emissions will exceed the 2030 SGM baseline on their own. This would leave no room for other facilities under the scheme who would find

___________

• Ausgrid unveils Sydney’s first power pole-mounted EV charger in Glebe

New South Wales electricity distributor Ausgrid has unveiled the first power pole-mounted electric vehicle charger in the City of Sydney, in the inner-western suburb of Glebe.

The successful deployment follows in the wake of what Ausgrid believes was Australia’s first pole-mounted EV charger for “long dwell” charging sessions, installed in the city of Newcastle in December last year.

The pole-mounted 22kW AC chargers are hoped to be the first of 30,000 such chargers Ausgrid expects to install across its network.

The Glebe pole mounted charger, was launched in partnership with the City of Sydney and local charging company EVX.

Faster and cheaper to deploy than other kerbside charging units – thanks to the existing infrastructure of a wooden pole and network connection point – the chargers also help to reduce urban clutter and cause less disruption to the surrounding community.

First ½ this week..........

• NSW Greens’ ultimatum to Labor and Chris Minns

NSW Greens lay out terms for backing Labor if Chris Minns becomes next premier

A future Minns Labor government in NSW would need to agree to scrap a major gas pipeline and make all 86,000 pokies cashless if it is to win the support of the state Greens.

Although Chris Minns has ruled out a deal with the Greens, the minor party on Saturday outlined seven demands it will make if it ends up holding the balance of power in the NSW parliament after the March 25 state election.

Top of the list is no new coal and gas projects, meaning the end of Santos’ planned coal seam gas project in Narrabri and a pipeline across the Hunter.

The project is on track to be completed in 2026 and is projected to eventually supply half of NSW’s gas.

“We cannot afford new coal and gas. It’s deadly, it’s dangerous and it will cost us the earth,” federal Greens leader Adam Bandt told the party faithful in Sydney on Saturday.

____________

• Emissions blow-out risk as safeguard bid up in the air

The Greens and a key crossbench senator have raised concerns about the scheme proposed by the federal government to cut emissions.

Greens leader Adam Bandt has challenged the government to come to the negotiating table on the mechanism with concessions on the proposal, indicating the party would support the measure if new coal and gas projects were stopped.

The concerns over the mechanism coincide with new modelling showing the emissions budget was at risk of blowing out.

The modelling by the firm RepuTex for the Climate Council and Australian Conservation Foundation showed emissions from 16 new coal and gas projects would be about 25 per cent of what the mechanism would aim to reduce.

While companies would be required to reduce emissions by 4.9 per cent each year until 2030 under the mechanism, modelling has shown declines of 8.9 per cent may be needed by the end of the decade to keep within the emissions budget.

The government's proposed mechanism means the emissions of the biggest 215 polluters would be capped.

Companies that breach the limit would be forced to buy carbon offset credits or trade their emissions with other firms.

Mr Bandt said opening coal and gas plants would not allow climate targets to be reached.

"The government is going to need to shift a bit, they want to get legislation through the Senate," he told reporters in Canberra.

"We've offered to compromise on targets, we've offered to compromise on offsets with just one thing: the government stops opening new coal and gas mines.

"The penny does not seem to have publicly dropped with the government, they are still publicly advocating for more coal and gas projects, but that is ultimately just an untenable position."

Independent senator David Pocock said limits needed to be placed on heavy industries offsetting their emissions.

_________

• Victoria urged to cut gas use if it is to achieve 75% emissions reduction target

Gas use needs to be cut to achieve the Andrews government’s target to reduce emissions by at least 75% by 2035, with analysis from Environment Victoria finding the closure of coal-fired power plants won’t be enough to meet the goal.

The non-for-profit’s report, being released on Tuesday, found closing the state’s coal-fired power plants and reaching 95% renewable energy by 2035 will still leave a substantial “emissions gap” of 18-24m tonnes of carbon pollution that will need to be met by other sectors – predominately gas.

Gas is usually described as having about half the emissions of coal when burned, though studies have found its impact on the climate is greater than this, once methane leaks during extraction and transport are factored in.

Victoria is the country’s largest consumer of gas, with more than 2m households and small businesses using it largely for heating, as well as for hot water and cooking.

Burning gas produces about 16% of the state’s total emissions, with households and small businesses responsible for almost two-thirds of those emissions.

According to Environment Victoria analysis, if the current rate of gas consumption continues, then gas burned in homes and small businesses will be responsible for between 29% and 37% of the state’s emissions by 2035.

If consumption only declines slightly, after the Australian Energy Market Operator’s “progressive change” scenario, then gas will be responsible for between 22% and 28% of Victoria’s emissions.

____________

• NSW Labor vows to fix ‘broken’ environmental offsets system if elected

New South Wales Labor has promised to fix the state’s “broken” environmental offsets system if it wins government in March, saying current policies are causing decline of endangered ecosystems instead of avoiding more damage.

“I think there’s a role for offsetting but the current system is skewed the wrong way,” the party’s environment spokesperson, Penny Sharpe, said.

“I fear we are just managing the decline.”

Sharpe said the current system had “no red lines” and a Labor government would use a five-yearly review of the state’s environmental laws, due to report in August, to deliver changes within the first 18 months of government.

“It means we’re not faffing around,” she said. “It means it gives a good structure in terms of the timing. A 12- to 18-month process we can get done early rather than waiting.”

It comes after a Guardian Australia investigation into planned developments in outer Sydney raised serious concerns about environmental offsets proposed to compensate for a massive expansion of new housing.

Biodiversity offsetting usually involves conserving and restoring bushland to compensate for clearing of ecosystems in another area for development.

Sharpe said if she becomes the state’s environment minister she will ask the reviewers of the Biodiversity Conservation Act to address a report tabled by a parliamentary inquiry into the state’s offset schemes last year.

____________

• 'No new coal or gas is a slogan, not a policy': Bowen

The safeguard mechanism is a central pillar in the government's plan to drive down emissions, and negotiations are continuing in Parliament this week.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen told RN Breakfast that a "blanket ban" on coal and gas would be "irresponsible".

Interview in the link: 'No new coal or gas is a slogan, not a policy': Bowen - ABC Radio National

Related: Safeguard Mechanism (Crediting) Amendment Bill 2022 [Provisions] - https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary...guardmechanism

^ nothing about AUKUS?

There’s an “Only in Australia” thread.

Post the news there. Because I could care less.

Originally Posted by S Landreth

There’s an “Only in Australia” thread.

Post the news there. Because I could care less.

but you do care Landy that's why you have this news thread about a country you've never been to and the Submarine deal is Aussie Govt news, you are slipping

Fuxing hell, so this 'keeping tabs of' stuff will never die then.

I'll cringe while reading that utterly dumb title forever.

^ he's not stared the keeping tabs on Estonia thread yet, it'll be a right riveting read

Originally Posted by malmomike77

a country you've never been to

Seriously? You never saw my Australia thread? We were there just a couple years ago. Watched the New Year come in and dove the Great Barrier Reef. We were on a liveaboard for about a week.

Planned to go to Perth just last year (Sept) to go Whale watching. But some new disease broke out (Mpox?) and whatshername said no fvckin’ way.

__________

Originally Posted by cyrille

so this 'keeping tabs of' stuff will never die then.

enjoy