Fuel rebates undermine climate controls
A new report commissioned by Climate Integrity found that the government is undermining its flagship climate scheme, the safeguard mechanism, by allowing fossil fuel giants to claim rebates under its fuel tax credit scheme (FTC).
The mechanism intends to have greenhouse gas-emitting facilities manage their emissions, so these don’t exceed the government’s safeguard baseline. Those below baseline can receive tradable credit units for every tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent below baseline.
However, the FTC gives a rebate for the tax on fuel used in business machinery, plants, equipment, and vehicles. The report found that the top 18 recipients collectively received a $3.3 billion rebate for the diesel they used over the past year, while only paying $150 million under the Safeguard mechanism.
Big winners from our climate damage include:
- Rio Tinto received $432 million in rebates but paid $20.7 million in Safeguard Mechanism costs
- BHP received $622 million but paid $19.2 million in costs
- Glencore received $349 million but paid $8.6 million
Author and founder of NARU research Tim Baxter said that for the remainder of the decade, for every dollar towards the safeguard mechanism’s offsets, $7 to $15 will be handed back to subsidise fossil fuels.
ASX wants to scrap diversity and climate disclosures
Looks like Australian corporates might take another official step towards the anti-diversity, anti-ESG targets set by the US Trump administration. That’s if the draft proposals from the ASX Corporate Governance Council, headed by former Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe, go ahead. Among the changes are proposals to scrap diversity targets, that female board targets remain at 30 per cent, instead of the proposed 40 per cent, and that requirements for climate-related financial disclosures be removed, if these were already “sufficiently addressed by Australian law”.
Directors of listed companies would no longer be required to disclose personal demographics, including sexuality, Indigenous heritage, and disability, The AFR has reported.
There’s an eight-week consultation period if you want to have a say.
Sunshine Coast hinterlands named “dark sky reserve”
The Sunshine Coast will become Queensland’s first officially designated “dark sky reserve” by Dark Sky International, which means the region will now actively take measures to protect the quality of its natural night sky. Astronomer Ken Wishaw claimed the reserve was the “last place in coastal south east Queensland” with “starry skies free of light pollution”.
The mechanism will require the cooperation of the local community to take measures to reduce light pollution caused by outdoor lighting. Measures could include keeping lighting to those with a clear purpose, shielded and carefully aimed downwards without spill, kept at low brightness, controlled with timers or motion detectors, and warm coloured.
Jobs
Jenny Edwards, who spoke at The Fifth Estate’s Passive House debate in May, has started a part time gig at Rewiring Australia to work on the ACT Installer Innovation Program, a 12-month program focused on empowering and educating local tradespeople.
The initiative, which is backed by a grant from the ACT Government’s Energy Innovation Fund, aims to accelerate the transition to all-electric homes in the ACT by targeting supply-side hurdles.
The program will involve two main focus areas: “research into attitudes, behaviours and barriers tradespeople face; and engaging and empowering tradies by building a network and helping them confidently guide households towards efficient electric appliances” Edwards said on social media.
City of Melbourne is hiring for two leadership positions following the implementation of the new operating model of its city strategy branch. It is currently looking for a new head of urban foresight and city strategy as well as a new head of strategic urban planning.
