‘Environment crisis': Wilderness Society pursues parties over election commitments

An influential green group is seeking concrete commitments from the major parties and potential crossbenchers for an overhaul of environmental protection laws and the establishment of new independent regulatory agencies, before Australians cast their votes on 18 May.

 Bill Shorten has agreed to introduce a new environment
act but the Wilderness Society is seeking concrete
commitments before the election.

Lyndon Schneiders, the national campaigns director of the Wilderness Society, wrote widely to politicians on Monday seeking agreement to an ambitious legislative and regulatory overhaul – but the hurry up is directed predominantly at Labor, which has offered an in-principle commitment but has not yet produced a final policy, and the people likely to form the crossbench in the next parliament.

The campaign intervention, which follows significant controversy over a rushed environmental approval for the controversial Adani coal project which the Morrison government ticked off just before calling the election, comes as the green group has amassed a campaign war chest of $400,000 from members and supporters, allowing it to run substantial field operations in targeted seats.

Read the story from The Guardian by Katharine Murphy - “‘Environment crisis': Wilderness Society pursues parties over election commitments.”

Labor promises a comprehensive overhaul of federal environmental framework

Australia will get the biggest overhaul of its federal environment laws in two decades if a Labor government is elected next year.

As environmental laws were foreshadowed at the Labor national
 conference, outside a climate change rally was in full swing.

Labor would establish a new Australian Environment Act and create a federal Environmental Protection Agency in its first term.

The commitments were flagged by Bill Shorten and approved by delegates at the ALP national conference, which is meeting in Adelaide.

The new legislation would replace the present Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act which was passed under the Howard government’s environment minister Robert Hill in 1999.

The new agency would oversee and enforce the revised act, conduct inquiries and advise the minister on environmental approval decisions.

Read the story by Michelle Gratton from The Conversation - “Labor promises a comprehensive overhaul of federal environmental framework.”

Energy plan keeps the coal fires burning as long as possible

Australian households must prepare for a mammoth overhaul of the nation’s electricity grid as investment surges into renewable energy, sparking a new call to keep coal-fired power stations running for decades to help with the transition.

Energy reliability will require that the life of coal-fired
 power stations be extended, according to the report.

The nation’s energy market operator has warned that Australians are exposed “more than ever” to the risks and costs of the disruption as it sets out a series of major projects needed to improve the capacity and reliability of the electricity grid.

With almost 80 per cent of new energy projects using wind and solar generation, the peak regulator has outlined a sweeping investment plan including new transmission lines, battery storage and expanded hydro-electric projects to cope with the change.

Read the story from The Age by  David Crowe - “Energy plan keeps the coal fires burning as long as possible.”

‘Detrimental': government pressured to compromise on energy plan.

The federal government must overhaul its centrepiece power policy or suffer defeat at a crucial meeting with states and territories, the ACT government has signalled after a report found the package risked driving up electricity prices and may not reduce the chance of blackouts.

Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg is on Wednesday
expected to urge the states to adopt the national energy guarantee.

Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg is due to address the National Press Club on Wednesday, when he is expected to issue a rallying cry to states and territories to sign up to the national energy guarantee and end the ideological stalemate that has paralysed Australia's climate policy for more than a decade.

But the ACT government – geographically Australia’s smallest jurisdiction – has received expert advice that cast serious doubt on aspects of the package, and on Tuesday warned it will not back a plan that is “detrimental” to its constituents.

The Turnbull government needs unanimous support to change electricity laws at a Council of Australian Governments’ energy ministers meeting in Melbourne next week.

Read Nicole Hasham’s story from The Age - “‘Detrimental': government pressured to compromise on energy plan.”

Bill Shorten pledges overhaul of energy market and renewable investment rules

A Labor government would overhaul National Energy Market rules to better serve consumers and relax renewable energy investment thresholds to get more capital flowing into electricity storage projects.

Bill Shorten wants to relax the rules around
renewable energy investment. 

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is also pledging to create Renewable Energy Zones – geographic areas with the right resources, topography and developer interest to drive cost-effective renewable projects.

In a speech to be delivered to the Australian Financial Review's National Energy Summit in Sydney on Monday, Mr Shorten will also reiterate Labor's willingness to negotiate with the Turnbull government a "fair dinkum" clean energy target.

"This does not mean compromise at any cost. A framework that isn't fair dinkum will not receive our support," Mr Shorten will tell the conference

Read Adam Gartrell’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Bill Shorten pledges overhaul of energy market and renewable investment rules.”