Fed Climate Change Bill (2020)

Policy Engagement Overview

• The evidence collected on corporate and industry lobbying on the Climate Change Bill indicates that the majority of entities which have publicly engaged with the policy are supportive.
• The Bill has been supported by companies including origin Energy, Rio Tinto, Tesla, and Unilever, as well as industry associations including Ai Group and Clean Energy Council.
• The only entity unsupportive of the Bill has been the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network, which supported the net zero by 2050 ambition but did not appear to support a legislated target, arguing that existing policy measures are adequate.

Impacts on Policy Ambition

The Australian Government has been under increasing pressure to legislate a net zero by 2050 target in line with the European Union and other developed economies. However, the Climate Change Bill does not have the backing of the federal government despite broad support from companies and industry groups. In June 2021, the final report of a parliamentary inquiry recommended that the Bill not be passed. The Bill will now remain with the House of Representatives for consideration, but it is unclear whether the government will instigate a vote on it.