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August 2019
How Australia is robbing the Pacific of its climate change efforts
Australia’s use of controversial Kyoto carbon credits to cut its Paris Agreement target in half completely undermines Pacific climate action.
Submission: Coal-Fired Power Funding Prohibition Bill 2017
The Australia Institute made a submission to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee’s inquiry into the Coal-Fired Power Funding Prohibition Bill 2017. The submission highlights our existing research on Australia’s energy market and coal-fired power generation. A coal phase out by 2030 is needed to meet our Paris Agreement commitments. Coal communities are better served
Keeping up with the competition
Wholesale demand response brings benefits to consumers and reduces energy prices. A rule change currently being considered by the Australian Energy Market Commission is supported by a wide range of consumer groups, but opposed by incumbent energy companies. Demand response is being introduced in major markets such as the USA, EU and China, where similar
Submission: Jemena pipeline
The Australia Institute made a submission on the Galilee Gas Pipeline proposed by Jemena. The Pipeline Project should be considered a controlled action under the EPBC Act as it would impact on matters of national environmental significance.
July 2019
National Energy Emissions Audit: July 2019
Welcome to the July 2019 issue of the NEEA Electricity Update, with data updated to the end of June 2019. The Electricity Update presents data on electricity demand, electricity supply,and electricity generation emissions in the National Electricity Market (NEM), plus electricitydemand in the South West Interconnected System (SWIS). Since the start of 2018 there hasbeen
Free coal contest Royalty subsidies to Queensland coal mines
As Queensland’s Government and Opposition compete to sweeten deals for the coal industry, open-cut coal mines in Queensland already get up to 17% of their coal for free compared with similar mines in NSW. At average export prices over the past decade, the benefit to Adani’s mine would have been $223 million and $1.3bn to
Submission: Interim Report on the Liquid Fuel Security Review
The Department of the Environment and Energy is conducting a Liquid Fuel Security review and public consultations on the Interim Report. This report is an edited version of The Australia Institute’s submission to that consultation. The Interim Report outlines significant risks to Australia’s transport energy security. Addressing these security risks requires reducing oil consumption and accelerating the transition to electric
Submission: PRRT Transfer pricing
The Australia Institute made a submission to Commonwealth Treasury’s Petroleum Resource Rent Tax Gas Transfer Pricing Review. Australians are being short changed by the LNG industry and the way it is taxed. A shift in the way the PRRT estimates transfer prices between a project’s upstream extraction and downstream liquefaction to ‘netback only’ pricing, could
Submission: Ulan coal modification 4
The Australia Institute made a submission on the proposed modification to the Ulan coal mine. Assessment of the proposal does not meet NSW guidelines and overstates potential benefits. It should be rejected on economic and climate grounds.
United Wambo Mine: Comments to the Independent Planning Commission
The Australia Institute made a submission to the NSW Independent Planning Commission’s May 2019 consideration of the United Wambo coal project. The latest assessment by Deloitte, commissioned by the mine proponents, confirms Australia Institute analysis that mine voids can be filled leaving a $139 million surplus, based on EIS figures. This submission follows from The
Canberra: Laboratory of democracy
Most Australians want 100% renewable energy, a stamp duty to land tax swap and pill testing at music festivals in their own state, new national polling from The Australia Institute shows.
Discussion Paper: Residential Time of Use Electricity Pricing in NSW
Australian energy companies and regulators claimthat introducing Time of Use pricing will benefitconsumers and move their consumption to timeswhen the network is less congested. On closer examination, further adoption will impose increased costs on households and appears more likely to increase the profits of electricity companies than to assist consumers.
Polling – SA Energy Prices
New research from The Australia Institute has shown that South Australians consider the privatisation of their energy network to be the number one reason for the increasing cost of electricity. Price gouging from power companies was considered the second most likely cause of increasing energy costs, according to the survey.
National Energy Emissions Audit: June 2019
Welcome to the June 2019 issue of the NEEA Report, providing a comprehensive, up-to-date indication of key electricity trends in Australia. Key Points:+ The government has belatedly released the National Inventory Report 2017 and December 2018 National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Quarterly Update and they show concerning upward trends in emissions from coal and gas extraction. +
June 2019
Breaking brown: Gas and coal plant breakdowns in Victoria
Victoria’s brown coal fired power stations suffer from frequent breakdowns and Loy Yang A is the responsible for largest number of breakdowns on the National Energy Market, since monitoring began in December 2017, and Loy Yang A’s Unit 2 is the most unreliable unit on the grid.
HeatWatch QLD: Extreme heat in the Sunshine State
The projected rise in extremely hot days as a result of global warming presents a serious risk to the health and wellbeing of the Queensland community. There has already been a clear increase in numbers of these extreme heat days over recent decades, as demonstrated in our profiles on: The Gold Coast; Brisbane; The Sunshine
May 2019
What is stopping Adani
The Australia Institute released new research showing Adani is not “ready to go” with its Carmichael coal mine and there are a number of significant reasons why Adani is not ready to proceed with its mine. “One thing that can be said with certainty about the Adani coal mine is that whether it goes ahead
National Energy Emissions Audit: May 2019
Key points: + Australia’s national energy emissions are down 21% since 2008, due to growth of renewables and declining demand. Emissions from Australia’s electricity sector continue to decline. They are 21% below 2008 levels, even lower than the lowest emissions of the carbon price period. This reduction is due to the rise of renewable energy
Taking way too much credit
$18 billion dollar gamble on climate action loophole The Government’s reliance on dated carbon credits to extinguish over half of its Paris Agreement target might not be authorised, forcing it to purchase last-minute international permits or drastically reduce emissions to cover huge gap. New analysis by the Australia Institute identified numerous legal, diplomatic and
NSW Rail Access Undertaking: Submission to Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal Review
The Australia Institute made a submission to the NSW Rail Access Undertaking – Review of the rate of return and remaining mine life – Draft Report (‘Draft Report’). The review assesses aspects of charges that apply to access several rail networks in NSW. Specifically, it considers the rate of return Government-owned RailCorp, can use in
Leaked QRC research shows massive public distrust of mining industry in QLD
Documents obtained by the Australia Institute shows that mining is experiencing a crisis in public trust among Queenslanders, with coal mining particularly unfavourable. The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) commissioned polling company Ipsos to conduct this research on the industry’s reputation because it has observed a “decline in positive (public) sentiment” about the QLD resource sector, and can
Submission to AEMC: Northern Gas Pipeline – Derogation from Part 23
The Australia Institute made a submission on the AEMC’s draft determination on the Northern Gas Pipeline – Derogation from Part 23. The Northern Gas Pipeline from the NT was given special treatment outside the National Gas Rules. The exemption is problematic and based on an “anomaly”. It should be revoked for future pipelines, to prevent
A Model Line-up
Debate about the cost of climate action is a recurring feature of Australian politics and has been central to the political turmoil of the last decade. Advocates for delaying or limiting climate action often point to modelling that claims to show the costs of action are very high. Australia’s current climate targets, of 26% below
Climate Assessment for the electorate of Herbert
The electorate of Herbert stands to be heavily impacted by climate change. Increasing floods, drought and heatwaves will impact the community’s health, environment, infrastructure and vital industries, particularly agriculture and mining unless decisive action is taken to tackle climate change
Polling – Young SA voters and climate change
New research from The Australia Institute has found that young voters and their strong interest in tackling global warming could be a significant factor at the next election in South Australia, across both the Lower House and the Senate.
Fishing exercise
Submission: Beetaloo Basin Drilling, Stimulation & Well Testing Program Environmental Management Plan
The Australia Institute made a submission to the Northern Territory Government’s consultation on Origin Energy’s Environment Management Plan for fracking petroleum wells in the Territory.