Australian Government Media Releases

Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme - transcript 23 July 2009
PORTFOLIO: Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
URL: http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/wong/2009/tr20090723a.html
Obviously the Government does not have the majority in the Senate, and if the Opposition - who does have the largest block of votes in the Senate - want to put things to us, the Government will consider them. We've had advice from different sources, we've also spoken to the electricity market regulators and those are the things we considered before arriving at our decision to provide assistance through the Electricity Sector Adjustment Scheme of around $3 billion.

Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, nuclear energy - transcript 23 July 2009
PORTFOLIO: Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
URL: http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/wong/2009/tr20090723.html
Now the other point that's come up in recent days, Rio Tinto mentioning that we need to look at nuclear energy as a possibility to supply our energy needs. I've just wondering if there's any point in time where we might see a change in the swing back to nuclear energy given that there seems to be a, well an ongoing push, certainly it's an ongoing discussion point of the consideration of nuclear energy.

Castlemaine shows business how to cut emissions (Media Release)
PORTFOLIO: Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
URL: http://www.csiro.au/news/Castlemaine-shows-how-to-cut-emissions.html
SNIPPET: The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world. The Marine National Facility -. Project leader from CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship, Dr Bill Lilley, said each business had specific energy needs and so the options available to achieve emissions savings had to be tailored to their individual operations.

Australian Government Media Releases

Business commended on climate change
Greg Combet - Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change - Media Statement - 03-07-2009

National Strategy on Energy Efficiency
http://www.pm.gov.au/media/Release/2009/media_release_1118.cfm
Today the Council of Australian Governments signed up to an ambitious road map to accelerate action on energy efficiency and assist Australia's transition to a low carbon economy.

Ministerial statement on preparing our forest industries for the future - The Hon Tony Burke MP - Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
http://www.maff.gov.au/media/media_releases/2009/july_new/ministerial_statement_on_preparing_our_forest_industries_for_the_future
SNIPPET: Some questions have been raised in recent days over the statistics included in my Ministerial Statement on `Preparing our forest industries for the future' on 24 June 2009. In relation to the proposal for Gunns' Bell Bay Pulp Mill, the employment figures used in that statement form part of a report which was prepared in 2004 by the Centre of Policy Studies at Monash University.

Australian Government Media Releases

Government cuts emissions and energy reporting red tape for business - media release 2 July 2009
http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/wong/2009/mr20090702.html
Companies required to report data on their greenhouse gas emissions and energy use will have their reporting red tape reduced, Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong announced today. Streamlining the greenhouse energy reporting process into a single, national system will reduce the administrative burden for Australian business.

Energy Efficient Home Agreement to create job opportunities - media release 2 July 2009
http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/garrett/2009/mr20090702.html
Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, and Minister for Employment Participation, Senator Mark Arbib, today announced the signing of Memoranda of Understanding, under which the Rudd Government, industry and job service providers will work closely together to ensure job seekers are connected to job opportunities under the Energy Efficient Homes Package. Further information on Energy Efficient Homes: or contact Energy Efficient Homes on: 1800 808 571.

The business of climate change

The Australian Government's release of its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme: Australia's Low Pollution Future White Paper on 15 December 2008 provides much needed clarity on the rules that will govern an Australian emissions trading scheme from 2010.

Business has only 18 months to develop and implement your response to climate change regulation – one of the biggest economic reforms of the last 30 years. If your business is impacted, you will need a comprehensive strategy that identifies

Business Regulation Agreement and Small Business Initiatives

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

Senator IAN MACDONALD (Queensland) (4:26 PM) —I have a lot of different views to the previous speaker, Senator Milne, on this issue. But one thing I do agree with her on is that the approach of the current government has been hypocritical at best and dishonest at worst. It was all about winning votes last November in the election with the rhetoric on climate» «change»—the ill-thought-through plans, the lack of real consideration of the impact on Australia and the lack of understanding of what the rest of the world was going to do. I am afraid that the Minister for «Climate» «Change» and Water continues to stumble from one problem to another as she attempts to try and match up the action to the rhetoric that has been spouted by the Labor Party for some time. I hear now from the government all these great programs about deforestation. I just want to remind the Senate that earlier this year the new government came in flush with success and knocked off two programs that the previous government had that dealt with deforestation in Indonesia and in the Solomons, as I recall. They cut those programs, which were actually doing something positive to stop deforestation in some of the most sensitive parts of the world, without even a murmur.

Businesses are apprehensive on ETS due to downturn

16/12/2008 - Businesses will remain apprehensive about emissions trading while the global financial "firestorm" continues, Australia's largest business group says.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson says a compensation package worth more than $1 billion to help business and community groups adjust to emissions trading was "not a bad idea".