Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move Australian Greens amendment (2) on sheet 5878:

(2)    Schedule 1, page 4 (after line 14), after item 10, insert:

10A  Subsection 24(1A)

Omit “This subsection is subject to subsection 25(3).”.

10B  After subsection 24(1A)

Insert:

(1AAA)   In addition to publishing the totals for the corporation’s group, the Greenhouse and Energy Data Officer must also publish on the website, in the case of a facility under the operational control of a member of the group and the individual operation of which meets a threshold mentioned in paragraph 13(1)(d) for a financial year:

             (a)    the greenhouse gas emissions that are scope 1 emissions (within the meaning of the regulations); and

             (b)    the greenhouse gas emissions that are scope 2 emissions (within the meaning of the regulations); and

             (c)    energy consumption;

reported in relation to the facility under Part 3.

(1AAB)    In addition to publishing the matters mentioned in subsection (1AAA), the Greenhouse and Energy Data Officer may also publish on the website:

             (a)    the methods mentioned in paragraph 19(6)(b) that were used to measure the values for the facility concerned; and

             (b)    the rating given to each of those methods under the determination under subsection 10(3).

10C  Subsection 24(1B)

Repeal the subsection, substitute:

Limitations

      (1B)    The Greenhouse and Energy Data Officer must not publish information mentioned in:

             (a)    subsection (1)—unless the corporation’s group meets a threshold mentioned in paragraph 13(1)(a) for the financial year covered by the report; or

             (b)    subsection (1AAA)—unless the facility meets a threshold mentioned in paragraph 13(1)(d) for the financial year covered by the report.

10D  Subsection 24(1C)

Repeal the subsection.

10E  Subsection 24(2)

Omit “This subsection is subject to subsection 25(3).”.

10F  Subsection 24(3)

Omit “This subsection is subject to subsection 25(3).”.

10G  Section 25

Repeal the section.

As I indicated in my comments on the second reading, the purpose of this amendment is to give effect to the publication on the website of the emissions from a facility under the operational control of a member of the group et cetera, and not just the aggregate total across the corporation or group. As I indicated in my remarks the reason for this in terms of public disclosure is critical. It is very clear that the government are requiring, under this framework, that that information be collected, so they will know what the emissions are across the total group and at the facility level, but there has clearly been a decision not to publish that and make it available. What I am doing here is requiring that that facility-level reporting is made public via the website so that, above a certain threshold level—which we would obviously like to be lower, but nevertheless—if you are required to report, you are required to report at a facility level.

I think it is fairly clear what the Australian Greens are seeking to do with the amendment I have moved. It is a matter of transparency, of public accountability, of giving the public the information they need to know about individual facilities. People need to know what Hazelwood, for example, is emitting. People would like to know what Aurora is emitting in New South Wales. We need to have that information. I would like to know why the government has chosen not to require that that be made available.