Post - Articles

Australian government seeks carbon emissions compromise

  • 14 years ago (2009-11-24)
  • David Flin
Africa 306 Asia 859 Australasia 51 Biomass 8 Climate change 20 Coal 282 Cogeneration 1 Concentrating solar 5 Cyber security 8 Decarbonisation 1 Decentralised energy 5 Demand side management 2 Demand side response 2 Digitalisation 10 Distributed energy 10 Distribution 113 Electric vehicles EVs 4 Emissions 61 Energy management 1 Equipment 2 Europe 1068 Gas 379 Gas engine plant 62 Gas fuel 2 Horizon 2 Hydroelectric 17 Hydrogen 56 Hydropower 116 Latin America 77 Maintenance 3 Marine 1 Metering 2 microgrid 5 Middle East 317 North America 1004 Nuclear 643 Offshore wind 119 Oil 18 Operations 4 Policy 8 Regulations 3 Renewables 757 smart grid 2 Solar 249 Storage 40 substation 8 Tepco 2 Tidal 2 Toshiba 4 Transmission 181 US Senate Washington 4 Wind 240

The Australian government has faced opposition from within Parliament to its proposed carbon emissions trading laws. In an attempt to reach a deal, the government has agreed to at least double compensation to the coal and the electricity generation sectors.

WNA 2024
More info

WNA 2024

The amendments to the proposal must win support from the opposition Liberal party if the law is to stand any chance of being passed.

Under the proposed changes, assistance to the coal industry would double to $1.4 billion, while electricity generators, which mainly burn brown coal, will be granted $7 billion worth of free permits over 10 years. Around $1 billion has been offered to assist manufacturing and mining industries handle the consequent higher prices of electricity.

’s Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has said that he wants the scheme passed into law before the climate change summit. However, the scheme has been attacked by ’s Green party for not going far enough, and it has been attacked by the National party, which argues that it would place a massive tax on the business community. The Liberal party is split on the issue, and is the key to whether the proposals can be passed into law. The Liberal leadership support the scheme, but it receives less support from the membership of the party.