Summary

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The majority disagreed with Labor MP Mark Butler's statement that:

  • the Government has a poor record on environmental and climate change issues
  • taxpayers, not big polluters, will have to pay for the Emissions Reduction Fund
  • the impact of this bill on the Carbon Farming Initiative should be examined
  • the Government has not made a "robust and defensible assurance" about how the changes in this bill can achieve Australia's emissions reduction target
  • Australia's international reputation on climate change has been damaged
  • the Government needs to create an emissions trading scheme.

Main idea of the bill

The bill creates an Emissions Reduction Fund so the Government can buy domestic greenhouse gas emissions reductions and offsets by reverse auction. It also makes some changes to the Carbon Farming Initiative, like introducing a 25-year-long option for carbon sequestration projects (right now all projects have to run for 100 years).

Carbon Farming Initiative

The Carbon Farming Initiative lets farmers and land managers earn carbon credits by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and storing carbon in vegetation and soils by changing their agricultural and land management practices.

Background to the bill

The Emissions Reduction Fund is a key part of the Coalition Government's Direct Action policy, which was an election commitment. It will replace the carbon price as the main part of the Australian Government's effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Australia has agreed with the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which means that Australia has agreed to reduce emissions by five per cent of 2000 levels by 2020.

Read more about the changes made by the bill in the bills digest.

Votes Not passed by a small majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Adam Bandt Melbourne Australian Greens Yes
Australian Labor Party (96% turnout) 53 Yes 0 No
Anthony Albanese Grayndler Yes
Chris Bowen McMahon Yes
Gai Brodtmann Canberra Yes
Anna Burke Chisholm Yes
Tony Burke Watson Yes
Mark Butler Port Adelaide Yes
Terri Butler Griffith Yes
Anthony Byrne Holt Yes
Jim Chalmers Rankin Yes
Nick Champion Wakefield Yes
Lisa Chesters Bendigo Yes
Jason Clare Blaxland Yes
Sharon Claydon Newcastle Yes
Julie Collins Franklin Yes
Pat Conroy Charlton Yes
Michael Danby Melbourne Ports Yes
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs Yes
Justine Elliot Richmond Yes
Kate Ellis Adelaide Yes
David Feeney Batman Yes
Laurie Ferguson Werriwa Yes
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter Yes
Andrew Giles Scullin Yes
Gary Gray Brand Yes
Alan Griffin Bruce Yes
Jill Hall Shortland Yes
Chris Hayes Fowler Yes
Ed Husic Chifley Yes
Stephen Jones Throsby Yes
Catherine King Ballarat Yes
Andrew Leigh Fraser Yes
Alannah Mactiernan Perth Yes
Richard Marles Corio Yes
Rob Mitchell McEwen Yes
Shayne Neumann Blair Yes
Brendan O'Connor Gorton Yes
Clare O'Neil Hotham Yes
Julie Owens Parramatta Yes
Melissa Parke Fremantle Yes
Graham Perrett Moreton Yes
Tanya Plibersek Sydney Yes
Bernie Ripoll Oxley Yes
Amanda Rishworth Kingston Yes
Michelle Rowland Greenway Yes
Joanne Ryan Lalor Yes
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong Yes
Warren Snowdon Lingiari Yes
Wayne Swan Lilley Yes
Matt Thistlethwaite Kingsford Smith Yes
Kelvin Thomson Wills Yes
Maria Vamvakinou Calwell Yes
Tim Watts Gellibrand Yes
Tony Zappia Makin Yes
Sharon Bird Cunningham Absent
Jenny Macklin Jagajaga Absent
Natasha Griggs Solomon Country Liberal Party No
Bruce Scott Maranoa Deputy Speaker No
Bob Katter Kennedy Independent Yes
Cathy McGowan Indi Independent Yes
Andrew Wilkie Denison Independent Yes
Bob Katter Kennedy Katter's Australian Party Absent
Liberal Party (89% turnout) 0 Yes 65 No
John Alexander Bennelong No
Karen Andrews McPherson No
Kevin Andrews Menzies No
Bob Baldwin Paterson No
Bruce Billson Dunkley No
Jamie Briggs Mayo No
Russell Broadbent McMillan No
Mal Brough Fisher No
Scott Buchholz Wright No
Steven Ciobo Moncrieff No
David Coleman Banks No
Peter Dutton Dickson No
Warren Entsch Leichhardt No
Paul Fletcher Bradfield No
Josh Frydenberg Kooyong No
Teresa Gambaro Brisbane No
Ian Goodenough Moore No
Alex Hawke Mitchell No
Sarah Henderson Corangamite No
Peter Hendy Eden-Monaro No
Luke Howarth Petrie No
Eric Hutchinson Lyons No
Steve Irons Swan No
Dennis Jensen Tangney No
Ewen Jones Herbert No
Michael Keenan Stirling No
Craig Kelly Hughes No
Andrew Laming Bowman No
Craig Laundy Reid No
Sussan Ley Farrer No
Ian Macfarlane Groom No
Nola Marino Forrest No
Russell Matheson Macarthur No
Karen McNamara Dobell No
Andrew Nikolic Bass No
Kelly O'Dwyer Higgins No
Tony Pasin Barker No
Christian Porter Pearce No
Jane Prentice Ryan No
Melissa Price Durack No
Christopher Pyne Sturt No
Rowan Ramsey Grey No
Don Randall Canning No
Stuart Robert Fadden No
Wyatt Roy Longman No
Philip Ruddock Berowra No
Fiona Scott Lindsay No
Luke Simpkins Cowan No
Tony Smith Casey No
Andrew Southcott Boothby No
Sharman Stone Murray No
Ann Sudmalis Gilmore No
Michael Sukkar Deakin No
Angus Taylor Hume No
Dan Tehan Wannon No
Alan Tudge Aston No
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth No
Bert Van Manen Forde No
Nickolas Varvaris Barton No
Brett Whiteley Braddon No
Lucy Wicks Robertson No
Matt Williams Hindmarsh No
Rick Wilson O'Connor No
Jason Wood La Trobe No
Ken Wyatt Hasluck No
Tony Abbott Warringah Absent
Julie Bishop Curtin Absent
Joe Hockey North Sydney Absent
Greg Hunt Flinders Absent
Louise Markus Macquarie Absent
Scott Morrison Cook Absent
Andrew Robb Goldstein Absent
Ross Vasta Bonner Absent
National Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 14 No
Andrew Broad Mallee No
Darren Chester Gippsland No
George Christensen Dawson No
John Cobb Calare No
Mark Coulton Parkes No
David Gillespie Lyne No
Luke Hartsuyker Cowper No
Kevin Hogan Page No
Barnaby Joyce New England No
Michelle Landry Capricornia No
Michael McCormack Riverina No
Ken O'Dowd Flynn No
Keith Pitt Hinkler No
Warren Truss Wide Bay No
Clive Palmer Fairfax Palmer United Party Absent
Bronwyn Bishop Mackellar Speaker Absent
Totals (92% turnout) 57 Yes – 81 No