Kate Chaney MP supports the Safeguard Mechanism Bill but urges for further improvements (9 March 2023)

Federal Member for Curtin, Kate Chaney MP has today spoken in Parliament in support of  the Safeguard Mechanism.  But Ms Chaney would like to see a number of improvements made to the regulations.

 New entrants

“There are more than a hundred coal and gas projects at various stages of development across Australia. These projects have no viable role in a clean, climate-safe future economy.  Existing facilities that are planning expansions or extensions to their current operations should be treated as new entrants if their expansion will create a significant new level of emissions.

 “The more room we make in our carbon budget for new fossil fuel projects, the harder every other sector will have to work to meet our emission reduction targets.

 Offsets

“Offsets should sit at the very bottom of a hierarchy that starts with avoiding, minimising and mitigating emissions. They should not be the primary means of achieving pollution reduction.

 “Although we will need a market for offsets and I support the creating of Safeguard Mechanism Credits, we cannot abate our way to zero emissions.  The Safeguard Mechanism needs to be structured to deliver real emissions reductions, rather than permitting facilities to keep paying to pollute.

 Transparency

“I will be pushing for any amendments that improve the transparency and accountability of the mechanism. This includes beefing up reporting obligations, so the public has greater visibility over how the Safeguard Mechanism is working and which facilities are making genuine efforts to decarbonise.

 Collaboration

“I appreciate the collaborative approach the Minister has taken to working with the crossbench to genuinely improve this mechanism.

 “It may not be perfect but it's a start. It's vital that we put something in place to give business some certainty, so facilities can invest in abatement technology as soon as possible.”