Page 1933 - Week 06 - Thursday, 9 June 2022
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
This amendment bill will thereby amend the act in nine key ways. Firstly, it will limit offsetting activities to within Australia. This reflects concerns over the reliability and environmental impacts of international offsets schemes. Currently, government policy does not include any offsetting activities in its plan to meet emissions reduction targets legislated in the act. This aligns with expert advice from the Climate Change Council that the ACT exclude offsetting from policy considerations.
The next amendment includes a requirement that the minister consult the ACT Climate Change Council in determining offsetting activities to meet future targets. This amendment better ensures that any decisions are informed by leading and independent analysis. The council would only be engaged as prescribed by the act.
The bill will also amend the act to require the minister to consult the Climate Change Council in setting or changing any interim targets. This amendment recognises that the council membership includes expertise in climate change science and responses.
The fourth amendment refines the functions of the minister to have three main objectives so that the focus is on enabling effective action on climate change mitigation and adaptation. This will ensure that the primary aim of the legislation remains to be developing and delivering effective action on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The amendment bill will also include the requirement that the minister report on the actions undertaken to address or adapt to the impacts of climate change. This amendment explicitly ensures that reporting covers both mitigation and adaptation actions. It aligns with the ACT’s object to facilitate the government’s development of policies and programs to address and adapt to climate change. It will contribute positively to government transparency and accountability.
The sixth amendment is to continue monitoring and measuring impact. There will also be an amendment to include the requirement for a five-yearly independent assessment of policies to achieve climate action within the ACT, including both mitigation and adaptation activities.
The seventh amendment clarifies that general membership of the ACT Climate Change Council should be based on specialist expertise, and for the inclusion of an adaptation specialist and a First Nations person. This reflects that the council is a body comprised of specific expertise rather than being a representative body of parts of the community.
The next amendment will encourage community and private sector engagement by removing the requirement that sector agreements be entered into on a voluntary basis, thereby permitting the inclusion of commercial terms and commercial values.
The final amendment expands the scope for potential sector agreements by including the word “adaptation” in the description of accepted activities. This will help to promote action in adaptation, an important focus for Canberra in the next 10 years.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video