Browned off: $90m 'clean coal' program ends as final project collapses

The last of a long list of government-backed "clean coal" projects has fallen over, with the Andrews government reluctantly confirming the end of a $90 million program announced amid much fanfare six years ago.

Latrobe Valley brown coal.

After days of pressing by The Age, Treasurer Tim Pallas’ department issued a statement announcing the conclusion of the joint federal and state Advanced Lignite Demonstration Program (ALDP) after the collapse of the program’s remaining scheme – a plan to turn Gippsland coal into char and oil by a company called Coal Energy Australia.

Mr Pallas refused to answer questions, instead leaving his department to handle media requests. Two other projects supported under the program had already failed.

The latest failed project did not receive any of the $90 million in government funding as it did not succeed in turning brown coal into clean fuel. It is not clear how much of that money has gone to any project.

Read the story from The Age by Royce Millar and Ben Schneiders - “Browned off: $90m 'clean coal' program ends as final project collapses.”

Josh Frydenberg concedes Australia's carbon emissions rose in 2017

Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg concedes Australia's greenhouse gas pollution continued to soar last year, confirming that more than a decade of climate policy bickering has failed to curb harmful emissions.

Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said the
government's national energy guarantee, announced in October,
 was "the most effective way" to cut emissions. 

Official data shows Australia's annual emissions have risen for the fourth year running. They were up by 0.7 per cent in the year to June 2017, to 550 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Read Nicole Hasham’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Josh Frydenberg concedes Australia's carbon emissions rose in 2017.”