Carbon Price Working Group

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The Federal Government has indicated that it will introduce a carbon price in late-2011. Newly formed policy committees, such as the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee and the Climate Change Business Roundtable are resetting the climate change debate in Australia and a carbon pricing mechanism is expected in late-2011.

The Clean Energy Council is playing a pivotal role in steering this debate.

Climate Change Business Roundtable

Matthew Warren, Chief Executive, Clean Energy Council, sits on the Climate Change Business Roundtable with business leaders from across the economy including the mining, transport, manufacturing, energy, retail and finance sectors. The Roundtable serves as a forum to discuss issues in advance of their consideration at the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee.

Garnaut Climate Change Review

Kane Thornton, Director of Strategy & Operations, Clean Energy Council, meets regularly with the Secretariat of The Garnaut Climate Change Review toprovide advice on key carbon price issues relating to clean energy and assist in the analysis of policy issues relating to carbon pricing and clean energy.

Carbon Price Working Group

The Clean Energy Council runs a Carbon Price Working Group which is responsible for providing input into these government consultations and guiding policy development surrounding the introduction of carbon pricing mechanism in Australia.

The Clean Energy Council, guided by the working group, supports the introduction of an efficient and effective carbon price in Australia that creates long term certainty for energy investment and maximizes outcomes for clean energy development and deployment.

The Clean Energy Council also believes that in addition to a price on carbon, a range of complementary measures will be needed to achieve carbon abatement quickly, safely, and at least cost with minimal disruption to the economy and quality of life of everyday Australians.

Recent work undertaken by the working group includes:

  • Research into the establishment of a Clean Energy Fund to independently administer a carbon price scheme
  • Commissioned research into the hypothecation of carbon price revenue to provide a secure source of funding for the clean energy sector
  • Input into the CEC’s submission to the MPCCC on the proposed carbon price scheme
  • Coordinating an open letter signed by CEC members in support of a carbon price
  • Media engagement with key journalists and opinion pieces through key media outlets
  • Political engagementwith key MPs, advisors and bureaucrats both at Commonwealth and state level
  • Engaging with CEC members, other energy industry associations and business groups, NGO's, think tanks to build awareness about the need for a price on carbon and the CEC preferred approaches.