Climate bill provides certainty but targets only achieved by working together

The Federal Government’s Climate Change Bill 2022 is in line with its election commitment and provides certainty for Australia’s industries.

The mining industry recognises the need to reduce emissions globally, nationally and at the sites and facilities driving Australia’s resources industry.

Achievement of both the 2030 target and the 2050 net zero target will require close consultation and collaboration with all stakeholders.

Federal, state and territory governments need to develop more consistent approaches to climate and energy policy if the country is to transition to net zero in an orderly manner.

It is vital that as the country seeks to achieve these challenging targets, that Australia’s export industries continue to thrive and remain internationally competitive.

Mining supports the escalation of renewable energy into the Australian electricity sector to reduce the emissions intensity of our electricity.

Mining is investing heavily in R&D and new low emissions technology development and deployment.  Many such technologies relevant for mining are at various stages of readiness and maturity.

We must manage this transition in a manner which reflects technology readiness and cost.

We can’t have policy reform that drives businesses to reduced production or closure due to an inability to compete with competitor countries who are not implementing strict emissions constraints on their export industries.

This would just shift emissions overseas to jurisdictions without strict emissions requirements. It would be neither sustainable nor real emissions reduction.

The objective must be to develop the policy reforms in a manner which keeps our industries strong and sustainably puts us on a course of emissions reduction through the development and deployment of low emissions technologies and processes.

The pathway will not be linear for all industries but great progress is being made across mining.

The transition to net zero will continue to take place over decades as new technologies are developed, commercialised and phased in to replace aging industrial equipment.

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