Committee to inquire into emissions reporting bill

THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy has called for submissions on the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Amendment (Transparency in Carbon Emissions Accounting) Bill 2020.

The Bill was referred to the Committee by the House of Representatives on February 27, 2020 for inquiry and report.

The Bill, sponsored by Andrew Wilkie MP (Member for Clark), seeks to amend the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007, to set a regular schedule for quarterly emissions reporting by the relevant Minister, and to capture scope-three emissions in all reporting obligations.

This would expand reporting to include emissions occurring in the wider economy, or internationally, as a consequence of the activities of a facility, from sources not owned or controlled by that facility’s business.

Chair of the Committee Ted O’Brien MP said, "If the Bill were to come into effect, we would effectively see emissions generated internationally from the use of our exported fossil fuels included in Australia’s national inventory of greenhouse gas emissions.’

Submissions to the inquiry will be accepted until March 20, 2020. The Committee intends to hold public hearings which will be announced in due course on the inquiry website.

Submissions must be relevant to the terms of the Bill. Details about the Bill and how to make a submission are available on the inquiry website.

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