The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is the Australian Government’s central piece of environmental legislation, providing a legal framework to protect and manage ‘matters of national environmental significance’. The legislation covers environmental assessment and approval processes for new developments in Australia, including major energy projects. The second independent review of the EPBC Act commenced in October 2019, which included a discussion regarding the inclusion of a climate trigger within the scope of the legislation. In February 2020, the EPBC Amendment (Climate Trigger) Bill 2020 was introduced to the Senate, which proposed penalties for emissions-intensive actions.
Energy Transition & Zero Carbon Technologies; GHG Emission Regulation
Active: Open to reform. Opportunity to positively influence progression of Bill.
Energy Transition & Zero Carbon Technologies; GHG Emission Regulation
Active: Open to reform. Opportunity to positively influence progression of Bill.
On the 11th October, the Business Council of Australia (BCA) entered a submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Climate Trigger) Bill 2022. In the response, the BCA stated that it opposed the introduction of a climate trigger to the policy.
The Carbon Market Institute actively supported the proposed reforms to the Safeguard Mechanism in its February 27th submission, advocating for the ratcheting of baseline decline rates from 2030 and the expansion of the scheme. Further, in a statement on the Safeguard Mechanism Reforms at the 27-28th February Senate Standing Committee Public Hearing on the Safeguard Mechanism (Crediting) Amendment Bill, CMI actively supported the policy, calling for broader coverage of the scheme. CEO John Connor also appeared to express support for a "budget approach" to limit future fossil fuel investment. CMI Director Kurt Winter went on to issue support for the implementation of a climate trigger in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
The table below lists the entities tracked by InfluenceMap which have publicly engaged with the policy. InfluenceMap tracks around 300 companies and 150 industry associations globally. Each entity links back to the entities’ full InfluenceMap profile, where the evidence of its engagement can be found.
| Influencemap Performance Band | Organization | Engagement Intensity | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D- | Woodside Energy Group Ltd | 41 | Energy | Oceania |
| D+ | Anglo American | 25 | Metals & Mining | Europe |
| D+ | Rio Tinto Group | 38 | Metals & Mining | Europe |
| E | Whitehaven Coal | 27 | Metals & Mining | Oceania |
