After an extremely bumpy ride, 2012 will finally see Australia implement a carbon price. The Clean Energy Future legislation, which passed in October 2011, will put a price of $23 AUD per tonne on emissions from July 1 and will apply to approximately 500 companies. It is hoped the initiative will cut emissions by 159 [...]

Following five weeks of intense negotiations between the Rudd government and the Opposition, the Australian Senate voted once more, by 41 to 33, against bills that would have established the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS). The Greens, Independent Senator Nick Xenophon, and Family First Senator Steve Fielding joined the Opposition (Liberals + Nationals) in voting [...]

After the Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme’s defeat in Senate last August, the Australian Opposition, the Coalition (Liberals + Nationals), had until last Sunday to propose amendments before the reintroduction of the bill in November (for previous developments, see here). After a Party meeting lasting more than four hours yesterday, Mr. Turnbull, the Opposition leader, [...]

The Australian domestic climate surrounding the emission trading scheme issue contrasts with the confidence and dynamism demonstrated by Labour Prime minister Kevin Rudd in multilateral talks. Mr Rudd was in New York late September to advance international negotiations on strategies to cut greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the December Copenhagen summit. He met Bill Clinton [...]

Al Gore, former U.S. Vice President and climate change campaigner, was in Melbourne on Monday for the launch of the new think tank Safe Climate Australia and to help train 300 people from 19 nations to address and encourage their leaders on the issue of climate change. Gore’s visit also coincides with Australia’s first ever [...]

South Australia (SA) has reaffirmed its leadership in a move to a low carbon economy, announcing an ambitious 33% renewable electricity target for 2020.  The target is matched with a A$20m Renewable Energy Fund to encourage investments and uptake, booting the renewable energy sector. This builds upon the federal target, which saw the Rudd government [...]