Date: May 3, 2014
Compare Australia to Canada, Australia initially did not ratify Kyoto Protocol. But after Australia ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2007, the numbers of Australians domestic legislation has increased largely. In 2010, the numbers of climate change legislation has boomed after the federal elections in 2010, and in 2011, Australia has legislated Clean Energy Act as the main package of 18 laws. Put it in a nutshell, Australia has a swinging attitude towards climate change issues, and it has to do with Australian’s political parties. Where they stand on climate change political issues substantially affect whether or not the political parties could win the votes.
When it comes to establishing organizations, competent authority has not been determined in recent years. Although there are cross-sectors organizations, for example, in 2010 Australian Labor Party has established a Multi Party Climate Change Committee and was later abolished and replaced by climate change conference to offer policy consulting. Another establishment of offering GHG emission trade regulations and consulting and later has been abolished was Climate Change Authority, and that GHG office has been merged to clean energy supervision organization. Of the above, we could see the instability of Australian’s climate change policies, and it has been affected by political reasons.
Australia has put energy regulation as its main focus when it comes to regulation mechanism and controlling methods. Australia has been choosing between carbon tax and emission trade as its controlling method, and finally Australia compromised its halfway. In 2011, Australia has passed clean energy act, with its ultimate hope of establishing emission trade system, with its first three years of fixed pricing. In 2012, Australia has connected with EU’s emission trade system, and has abolished the fixed pricing part and let the market be its hand, using emission reduction fund as a replacement of carbon tax. Another trait of clean energy act is that the reimbursement kicks in when reduction promotion has burdened or ever harmed Australian corporations and communities. We could say that Australia has subsidy methods in emission reduction policies.
Australia has suffered from various climate change disasters and has raised the awareness of climate change adjustment issues to national level in 2007. It has established a national adjustment framework on climate change adjustment, with its priority mission as investigating vulnerability of each place and its location in climate change adjustment actions priorities within various different fields. Six fields that has been considered to be under the largest impacts of Australian climate change: water resources, shores, foundational constructions, ecology, management of natural disasters and agriculture.
As to emission reduction fund, the policies involved are through establishing funds to contribute to substantial policies, using financial mechanism to promote reduction. This fund has quite clear political directives and procedures; it must be low-cost to reach actual reduction, while the procedures shall be easy to participate. Australian government and clean energy regulators cooperated separately, with the government taking charge of deciding the sequence of methods and development, and establishing related standards; while clean energy regulators are responsible for the approval of credential projects, auctions, and contract-signing procedures and fulfillment report.
Professor Lin pointed out that, the main observing focus on Australian climate change legislation includes: political parties as the influence key on climate change policies, making Australian’s standing towards climate change swinging; the impacts on considerable amount of passed legislation; the attention given on aborigines and agriculture, and its adjustment; other noteworthy focus are the reduction fund and subsidy policies.
Researcher Dai-gee Shaw pointed out that the Australian Labor Party won the election because of climate change policies, and thereafter has promoted climate change polices. However, the Australian Labor Party failed on its policies and therefore lost its authority. The new political party in charge also took the strategy of abolishing the previous legislation. Researcher Shaw recommended that we put this history and contexts in the report. On the other hand, emission fund is a new strategy of the new government in replacing the policies from the previous authority. New government has taken the strategies of giving out benefits for the emitting parties. Lastly, the new government wants to abolish carbon tax. Researcher Shaw indicated that the previous project of fixed pricing and carbon trade system shall be a very successful mechanism, and Researcher Shaw wished to understand more regard the systems and its development timing. Professor Lin responded that the emission reduction fund began in November 2013, and it’s already the new government era. According to the recent announced White paper, it shall be the new policy strategy of the government taking in charge by replacing the strategy of carbon trade from the previous government.