Media
release - Minister for Climate Change and
Water, Senator Penny Wong, departed Australia
today to visit Washington DC and New York
City to discuss climate change with leading
figures in the new US Administration.
Senator Wong said the
Rudd Government welcomed the strong commitment
of the Obama Administration on climate change.
“With the newly elected
Obama Administration, America has an opportunity
like no other country to transform the current
climate negotiations and deliver momentum
towards an agreement,” Senator Wong said.
“Australia and the US
have a long history of working together
to solve common problems and we share a
common interest in tackling climate change.
“Both our countries
have governments that are taking the problem
of climate change seriously and we can work
together to help shape a global solution.
“This visit provides
an opportunity to inform key private and
public sector figures in the US on Australia's
progress to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions
and to hear the latest on the US government’s
plans to tackle climate change.”
Senator Wong said the
visit would allow early and close dialogue
with the US on how Australia and the US
can work together in the UN negotiations
to achieve an effective post-2012 outcome
on climate change.
“It is important for
Australia to have early engagement with
the Obama Administration as we work to secure
a strong and effective international agreement
to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.”
As the US considers
the introduction of a cap-and-trade emissions
trading scheme, Senator Wong will discuss
with US counterparts Australia’s experience
in developing emissions trading through
the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
Senator Wong will meet
with key members of the new Administration
and Congress, as well as with opinion leaders
and representatives from a range of business
and environmental organisations.
In New York, Senator
Wong will give a speech to the International
Peace Institute and in Washington DC, she
will address the Pew Centre for Global Climate
Change.
Defining emissions intensive
industries under the Carbon Pollution Reduction
Scheme
Media release - 1 April
2009 - Seven of the emissions-intensive
trade-exposed activities that may be eligible
for free permits under the Carbon Pollution
Reduction Scheme have had their activity
defined to allow for the next stage of data
collection.
The definitions detail
the specific industrial activities that
will be taken into account in providing
free permits.
“Under the Carbon Pollution
Reduction Scheme, free permits are provided
to industry on the basis of the activity
they undertake,” Minister for Climate Change
and Water, Senator the Hon Penny Wong said.
Firms will receive free
permits in relation to their production
levels and calculated by reference to the
average emissions of their particular industry
activity.
The first set of activity
definitions approved for data collection
are:
Silicon
Carbon black
Glass containers
Fused alumina
Synthetic rutile
Methanol
Zinc smelting
Senator Wong said the definitions were based
on extensive and productive engagement with
industry and drew on advice from the expert
advisory committee chaired by Mr Dick Warburton.
“The Government is committed
to providing certainty to firms that may
be eligible for free permits under the Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme,” Senator Wong
said.
“This assistance has
been designed to ensure these emissions
intensive industries transition to a low
pollution future while supporting today's
jobs.”
The Department of Climate
Change is continuing to engage with industry
on further definitions through intensive
workshops.
Guidance on further
activity definitions will be progressively
provided. Activities for which the required
data is received by 1 May 2009 will be included
in draft regulations due mid-year.
Some stakeholders have
indicated that more time may be required
to collect the necessary data. As noted
in the Guidance Paper released in February,
the Government will accommodate this through
the consideration of further tranches of
draft regulations if required.
Senator Wong commended
the efforts of industry to date in providing
information to the department.
“The earlier industry
can provide the required information, the
earlier firms will know how much assistance
they will receive,” Senator Wong said.
The approved activity
definitions are available at: www.climatechange.gov.au
+ More
First Commonwealth environmental
water to benefit SA wetlands
Media release - The
first release of Commonwealth water for
the environment will start today at wetlands
in South Australia, to be followed by further
releases at other sites around the Basin
over coming months.
Minister for Climate
Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, and
South Australian Minister for the River
Murray, Karlene Maywald, said the first
watering events to commence today marked
a new chapter in the restoration of the
Murray-Darling Basin.
"These releases
of environmental water are the first dividends
from the Australian Government's $3.1 billion
water buyback program under its Water for
the Future plan," Senator Wong said.
"The Commonwealth
Environmental Water Holder has selected
these sites based on proposals from Basin
states and advice from the Environmental
Water Scientific Advisory Committee."
Minister Maywald said
the water would benefit several significant
South Australian wetlands.
"South Australia
will commence watering this week at four
sites, delivering over one billion litres
of Commonwealth environmental water over
several weeks."
The sites to be watered
are:
Chowilla Floodplain,
an icon site of The Living Murray Initiative
and part of the Riverland Ramsar site, containing
large areas of River Red Gum, Black Box
woodland and diverse wetland habitats, will
receive 286 million litres to complement
350 million litres provided by the South
Australian Government.
Paiwalla Wetland, between Mannum and Murray
Bridge, listed in the Directory of Important
Wetlands of Australia, containing rare and
nationally listed species and frequented
by significant populations of migratory
water birds, will receive 475 million litres.
Carpark Lagoons on the Katarapko floodplain
in the River Murray National Park, near
Berri. Katarapko, a diverse floodplain and
wetland habitat for a range of aquatic and
terrestrial animals, will receive 200 million
litres targeted at protecting River Red
Gums.
Rocky Gully, also near Murray Bridge, a
refuge site for a range of rare and nationally
listed species and one of the last remaining
refuge sites across the Basin for the Murray
Hardyhead, has been allocated 80 million
litres.
"These are the first in a number of
environmental watering actions planned by
the Commonwealth to give priority drought-affected
wetlands a much-needed drink," Senator
Wong said.
"The Commonwealth
Environmental Water Holder is working with
Basin states to identify priority sites
for environmental watering, with more sites
to be watered in other parts of the Basin
soon."
More information about
the sites receiving water and the Commonwealth
Environmental Water Holder is available
at:
www.environment.gov.au/water/environmental/cewh/index.html
