Australia

Australia Country Profile (World Bank)

Status under International Climate Change Law

• UNFCCC: signature and ratification (30 Dec 1992)
• KP: signature and ratification (12 Dec 2007)
  • Quantified emission limitation or reduction commitment: +8
• Vienna Convention: accession (1 Oct 1999)
• Montreal Protocol: signature and ratification (18 May 1989)
• LRTAP: NA
• Energy Charter: signature (17 December 1994) but no ratification
• Energy Efficiency Protocol: signature (17 December 1994) but no ratification
• Espoo Convention: NA
• 2030 Commitment: 26-28% emissions reduction below 2005 levels by 2030
  • INDC summary – includes LULUCF and gases covered (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 2015)
  • INDC summary – includes adaptation and conditions for implementation (Climate Policy Observer 2016)

Federal Laws on Climate Change

Climate

• Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Act 2014 (2014) [English], repealed the Clean Energy Act of 2011, which established a national price on carbon with a transition to a national carbon emission trading scheme initially planned to occur in 2015.
• Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act (2011) [English] to set up a scheme for the issue of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) in relation to eligible offsets projects. Amended in April 2015 to include provisions supporting the national “Emissions Reduction Fund” which provides financial incentives for emission reduction projects.
  • Carbon Farming Initiative Amendment Act (2014) [English], amends the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act of 2015 to include provisions supporting the national “Emissions Reduction Fund” which provides financial incentives for emission reduction projects.
• Climate Change Authority Act (2011) [English]
• Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act (1989) [English]
• Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Act (1995) [English]
• Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Act (1995) [English]

Energy

• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act (2006) [English] to provide an effective regulatory framework for petroleum exploration and recovery, and the injection and storage of GHG substances in offshore areas.
• National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act (2007) [English] to establish the legislative framework for the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System.
• Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act (2000) [English] to establish the framework for a national renewable energy target of at least 20% renewable energy generation by 2020. This is to be achieved through the trading of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) which are created under two programs – the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET) and the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES).
• Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act (2012) [English]
• Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Registration Fees) Act (2012) [English]
• Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act (2000) [English]
• Renewable Energy (Electricity) (Large-scale Generation Shortfall Charge) Act (2000) [English]
• Renewable Energy (Electricity) (Small-scale Technology Shortfall Charge) Act (2010) [English]
• Clean Energy Regulator Act (2011) [English]
• Atomic Energy Act (1953) [English]
• Australian Energy Market Act (2004) [English]
• Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act (2010) [English]
• Coal Industry Repeal (Validation of Proclamation) Act (2002) [English]
• Fuel Quality Standards Act (2000) [English]
• Fuel Tax Act (2006) [English]
• Fuel Tax (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act (2006) [English]
• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act (2006) [English]
• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Compliance Measures) Act (2013) [English]
• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (National Regulator) Act (2011) [English]
• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Act (2003) [English]
• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Regulatory Levies Legislation Amendment (2011 Measures No. 1) Act (2011) [English]
• Petroleum and Minerals Authority Act (1973) [English]
• Protection of the Sea (Oil Pollution Compensation Funds) Act (1993) [English]

Forests and Land Use

• Lands Acquisition (Northern Territory Pastoral Leases) Act (1981) [English]
• Land Acquisition Act (1989) [English]
• Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area Conservation Act (1994) [English]
• Aboriginal Land Grant (Jervis Bay Territory) Act (1986) [English]
• Aboriginal Land (Lake Condah and Framlingham Forest) Act (1987) [English]
• Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act (1976) [English]
• Aboriginal Land Rights and Other Legislation Amendment Act (2013) [English]

Environmental Impact Assessment

• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999, includes amendments up to 2015) [English]
• Environmental Reform (Consequential Provisions) Act (1999) [English]
• Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act (1980) [English]

Other

• Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act (1981) [English]
• Environment Protection (Northern Territory Supreme Court) Act (1978) [English]
• Environment Protection (Alligator Rivers Region) Act (1978) [English]
• National Environment Protection Council Act (1994) [English]
• National Environment Protection Measures (Implementation) Act (1998) [English]

Local, State, and Regional Legislation and Initiatives

• Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership: signature (September 5, 2013)

Government Documents

• 2014 Annex I Party GHG Inventory Submissions

  • National Inventory Report (2014) [English]
  • Common Reporting Format (2014) [English]
• Sixth National Communication to the UNFCCC (2013) [English]
• Second Biennial Report to the UNFCCC (2015) [English]
• Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) (2015) [English]

Additional Resources

• Climate Change (Australian Government and Department of the Environment)
• International Energy Agency Statistics – Australia
• Australia Profile (Climate Action Tracker) (2015)
• Climate Change in Australia (Australian Government and Department of the Environment) (2015)
• Global Climate Change Legislation Study: Australia (Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment) (2015)
• Ross Abbs et al., Australia, in CLIMATE CHANGE LIABILITY, 57-111 (Richard Lord et al. eds., Cambridge University Press 2011).

Summaries of legislation compiled from Terry Townsend et al., The GLOBE Climate Legislation Study (3d ed. 2013).

Updated as of: June 1, 2015