Australia’s National Electric Vehicle Strategy outlines the country’s objectives to increase the availability of affordable electric vehicles, establish the supporting systems and infrastructure to enable a rapid uptake of electric vehicles by Australians, as well as to encourage demand for electric vehicles. The Strategy also commits Australia to introducing a Fuel Efficiency Standard.

&nbsp;The Future Fuels and Vehicles Strategy sets out how the Australian Government will support a technology-led approach to reducing emissions in the transport sector. This strategy was published under the previous Australian Government.

This plan sets out a roadmap for how Australia plans to achieve its target of net zero emissions by 2050. The plan is based on five key principles: 1. Technology not taxes – no new costs for households or businesses, 2. Expand choices, not mandates – we will work to expand consumer choice, both domestically and with our trading partners,</div><div>3. Drive down the cost of a range of new energy technologies – bringing a portfolio of technologies to parity is the objective of Australia’s Technology Investment Roadmap,</div><div>4. Keep energy prices down with affordable and reliable power – our Plan will consolidate our advantage in affordable and reliable energy, protecting the competitiveness of our industries and the jobs they support, and</div><div>5. Be accountable for progress – transparency is essential to converting ambition into achievement. Australia will continue to set ambitious yet achievable whole- of-economy goals, then beat them, consistent with our approach to our Kyoto- era and Paris Agreement targets. The plan states that the "wellbeing and prosperity of Australia’s regional communities at its core. It will not impose new costs on households, businesses or the broader economy. Our actions under the Plan will not lead to job losses or place burdens onto regional communities." The plan contains four chapters focused on: Driving down the costs of low emissions technologies, Enabling deployment at scale, Seizing opportunities in new and traditional markets, and Fostering global collaboration. It makes reference to a number of other key policy documents, including the Technology Investment Roadmap. </div><div> </div><div>

This document presents Australia's strategy to accelerate development and commercialisation of low emissions technologies. By focusing on government investment, it aims to make low-carbon technologies' cost "about the same as" existing high emission technologies. The government announced $1.9 billion in funding alongside LETS 2020. Since the release of LETS 2020, the government has announced a further $1.7 billion in funding to support LETS 2021 initiatives and the roadmap. </div><div>The yearly LETS statement announces funding directed to each technology, such as hydrogen, aluminium, CCS and livestock supplements.

This document sets a vision for a clean, innovative, safe and competitive hydrogen industry and aims to position the country as a major player by 2030.

On 30 March 2023, the Safeguard Mechanism (Crediting) Amendment Bill 2022 was passed by both Houses of Parliament. The Bill amends the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 to establish a framework for the issuance of safeguard mechanism credits (SMCs). The Bill includes a 'hard cap on pollution', through inserting additional legal objects to the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act, including (i) ensuring&nbsp;total net safeguard emissions for all of the financial years between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2030 do not exceed a total of 1,233 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalence, and (ii) ensuring that net safeguard emissions decline to no more than 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalence for the financial year beginning on 1 July 2029. It also amends the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (to provide that SMCs receive the same tax treatment as other specified units), the Australian National Registry of Emissions Units Act 2011 (to provide ownership and transfer arrangements of SMCs), the Clean Energy (Consequential Amendments) Act 2011, the Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011, and the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative).&nbsp; To implement and align with the amendments, the Government intends to amend the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Safeguard Mechanism) Rule 2015 and other subordinate legislation in April 2023.&nbsp;

Australia's framework climate mitigation document sets out greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets by 2030 and by 2050.&nbsp; The Act provides for annual climate change statements, requiring the Minister to prepare such statements; and cause copies of those statements to be tabled in each House of the Parliament. </div><div>The document further confers advisory functions on the Climate Change Authority which is independent, on the creation of NDC targets and on the preparation of annual climate change statements. The operation of this Act should be periodically reviewed.

The Act establishes the legislative framework for the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme. The goal of the NGER Act was to introduce a single national reporting framework for the reporting and dissemi-nation of information related to GHG emissions, GHG projects, energy consumption and energy production of corporations. The NGER Act was in part designed to underpin the introduction of a future emissions trading scheme. Additionally, the NGER Act is intended to meet international GHG reporting obligations, and reduce red tape and duplication associated with emissions reporting. The NGER Act sets out a number of thresholds in relation to GHG emissions, energy production and energy consumption. Corporations that meet an annual NGER threshold must register with the Clean Energy Regulator, and submit annual reports of GHG emissions, energy production, energy consumption, and other information. The annual reports cover the financial year (1 July to 30 June). All registered corporations are required to submit a report, even where the threshold has not been met in a given reporting year. Failure to submit reports on time can attract penalties.

This bill establishes the Emissions Reduction Fund, and provides a transition for the Carbon Farming Initiative by amending the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 to provide for the Clean Energy Regulator to conduct auctions and enter into contracts to purchase emissions reductions; enable a broader range of emissions reduction projects to be approved; and amend the project eligibility criteria and processes for approving projects and crediting carbon credit units. 
 
The Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 set up a scheme for the issue of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) in relation to eligible offsets projects. It was part of a package of three Acts to establish the Carbon Farming Initiative, including the Australian National Registry of Emissions Units Act 2011 and the Carbon Credits (Consequential Amendments) Act 2011. The package of Acts established the existence of ACCUs as personal property, which are generally transferable, and can be sold domestically or internationally subject to regulation.

The Act promotes the development and adoption of products that use less energy, produce fewer GHGs, or contribute to the reducing of energy or GHGs produced by other products. It is also intended to give effect to Australia's obligations under the UNFCCC. 
 
It establishes greenhouse and energy minimum standards (GEMS) that are to be applied to the supply and commercial use of products that either use energy, or affect the energy used by another product. The specific GEMS are provided for by requirements in Ministerial determinations. A GEMS register is established to ensure products comply with GEMS. An associated act is the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Registration Fees) Instrument 2013 (No. 2) which specifies the fees payable under the 2012 act.

Australia. National Communication (NC). NC 8. Biennial Reports (BR). BR 5., Biennial Report,National Communication from Australia in 2022

Australia NDC 2022 Update, Nationally Determined Contribution from Australia in 2022

Australia. 2022 National Inventory Report (NIR), National Inventory Report from Australia in 2022

Australian Government: Submission to the first Technical Dialogue of the Global Stocktake, Submission to the Global Stocktake from Australia in 2022

Australia's Long-Term Emissions Reduction Plan: A whole-of-economy Plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategy from Australia in 2021

National Energy Productivity Plan 2015-2030

Law passed

To deliver the Australian Government's National Energy Productivity Target of 40% improvement between 2015 and 2030, the Council of Australian Governments Energy Council has developed the National Energy Productivity Plan (NEPP), a framework and related economy-wide work plan. In better coordinating energy market reform, energy efficiency and climate policy, the Plan aims to improve national energy productivity by stimulating: 
 
<ul> 
<li>"more productive consumer choices, through measures which make consumer energy choices easier, help business compete and provide more efficient incentives; and</li> 
<li>more productive energy services, through measures which support innovation, competitive modern markets and consumer protections".</li> 
</ul> 
The main measures proposed in the Plan include: 
 
<ul> 
<li>Increased energy efficiency improvement across the residential, commercial and industrial sectors in buildings, appliances and equipment, as well as smarter management of energy</li> 
<li>Improvement in light vehicle fuel efficiency</li> 
<li>Reformed electricity and gas market policy to further support new emerging clean technologies and help consumers to reduce their energy costs</li> 
<li>Support to technological and business-model innovation in the energy sector</li> 
<li>Support to growth in renewable energy and expansion of the Emission Reduction Fund</li> 
<li>Promote low carbon urban development</li> 
<li>Building international collaboration</li> 
</ul> 
The related <a href="https://scer.govspace.gov.au/files/2015/12/NEPP-Work-Plan-version-for-release-20151203sc.pdf">Work program</a> details the measures, their status and proposal for implementation. 
The National Energy Productivity Plan aims to deliver numerous benefits, including: 
 
<ul> 
<li>boost competitiveness</li> 
<li>help consumers manage their energy costs</li> 
<li>reduce GHG emissions - the NEPP is expected to contribute more than 25% of the savings required to meeting Australia's 2030 emissions reduction target (26-28% below 2005 levels)</li> 
</ul>

Increase energy productivity by 40% by 2030 compared with a from 2015 and against business as usual scenario

National Energy Productivity Plan 2015-2030

Main documents

Targets (1)

Timeline

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