8th Sep 2022, 1:59 PM – Senate Climate Change Bill 2022, Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022 - in Committee - Greenhouse gas emissions outlook report

The majority voted against an amendment introduced by the Jacqui Lambie Network and ACT Senator David Pocock (Independent), which means it failed. The amendment related to a greenhouse gas emissions outlook report.

Amendment text

(1) Schedule 1, page 8 (after line 31), after item 15, insert:

Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998

15A After Division 1 of Part 5 of Schedule 1

Insert:

Division 1A—Greenhouse gas emissions outlook report

13A Public release and tabling of greenhouse gas emissions outlook report

The Treasurer is to publicly release and table a greenhouse gas emissions outlook report at the time of each budget.

13B Purpose of greenhouse gas emissions outlook report

The purpose of greenhouse gas emissions outlook reports is to provide information to allow the assessment of the impact of the Government’s fiscal strategy against Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in section 10 of the Climate Change Act 2022.

13C Contents of greenhouse gas emissions outlook report

(1) A greenhouse gas emissions outlook report is to contain the following information:

(a) the greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption of the Commonwealth budget sector and Commonwealth general government sector for the budget year and the following 3 financial years;

(b) the greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption of fiscal policy actions for the budget year and the following 3 financial years;

(c) the assumptions for the budget year and the following 3 financial years that have been used in preparing the report.

(2) The information in the report is to take into account, to the fullest extent possible, all Government decisions and all other circumstances that may have a material effect on greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption.

(3) The report is to be based on:

(a) the methods by which the amounts of the greenhouse gas emissions or energy consumption are to be measured; or

(b) the criteria for methods by which the amounts of the greenhouse gas emissions or energy consumption are to be measured;

as determined by the Minister for the purposes of subsection 10(3) of the National Greenhouse and Energy Report Act 2007 .

(4) The report does not have to include information that the Treasurer considers should not be included because:

(a) it is confidential commercial information; or

(b) its disclosure in the report could prejudice national security.

(5) The report does not have to include information relating to Commonwealth bodies or fiscal policy actions that do not meet the threshold specified in subsection 13(1) of the National Greenhouse and Energy Report Act 2007 for a financial year.

13D Commonwealth bodies to provide information to help prepare report

(1) To help the Treasurer to prepare a greenhouse gas emissions outlook report, the Treasurer may request a Commonwealth body to provide information.

(2) A Commonwealth body is to comply with a request in time to allow the information to be taken into account in the preparation of the report, unless it is not practicable for the body to do so. The body does not have to provide information if doing so would contravene another law of the Commonwealth.