Developing the National Reporting System

National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007

The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 is consistent with the design elements of the proposal developed under the Council of Australian Governments in April 2007, based on broad consultation with all levels of government and industry.
Find out more More about the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007

Council of Australian Governments

At its 13th April 2007 meeting, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to:

…establish a mandatory national greenhouse gas emissions and energy reporting system, with the detailed design to be settled after the Prime Minister's Task Group on Emissions Trading reports at the end of May.

COAG had previously agreed at its 14th July 2006 meeting that a reporting system based on national purpose-built legislation would be developed to provide for cost-effective mandatory reporting and disclosure at the company level. COAG asked senior officials to report back, by December 2006, with a detailed proposal for the reporting system, including advice on timing, thresholds and governance arrangements. COAG considered this detailed proposal for the reporting system at the 13th April meeting.

Consultation

Current consultation

October 2007

In October 2007 the Australian Greenhouse Office released for public comment the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System, Regulations Discussion Paper.

August 2007

Public information sessions on the Australian Emissions Trading System and the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill were held in Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane from 27 August - 31 August 2007. Copies of the slide presentations are available:

National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill 2007 - Slide presentation

October 2006

A draft Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) was released in October 2006 to facilitate input by stakeholders, and inform the report to COAG. The draft RIS included specific proposals on key design elements of the reporting system, such as:

reporting thresholds
public disclosure
data security and access
compliance and enforcement
timing of implementation.

The period for stakeholder consultation on the Draft RIS closed on 30 October 2006.

Draft RIS

A national system for streamlined greenhouse and energy reporting by business - DRAFT REGULATION IMPACT STATEMENT
(ris.pdf - 582 KB)
For the Final Regulation Impact Statement see the Explanatory Memorandum of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill 2007.

Attachments

Attachment A: Facility Level Cost Benefit Analysis
Costs and Benefits of a National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Framework
George Wilkenfeld & Associates (March 2006)
Attachment B: Company Level Cost Benefit Analysis
Costs and Benefits of a National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Framework - Additional Analysis.
George Wilkenfeld & Associates (June 2006)
Attachment C: List of stakeholders that provided written submissions on the April 2006 Consultation Paper - A Streamlined National Reporting Framework for Greenhouse and Energy Data: Reducing the Burden.

April 2006

On 14th July 2006, COAG considered recommendations by the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) and the Ministerial Council on Energy (MCE), which were developed following a national stakeholder consultation process held during April 2006.

After considering the recommendations, COAG agreed that a single streamlined system that imposes the least cost and red tape burden is the preferable course of action. COAG asked senior officials to report back, by December 2006, with a detailed proposal for the reporting system, including advice on timing, thresholds and governance arrangements.

Download the April 2006 consultation paper - A Streamlined National Reporting Framework for Greenhouse and Energy Data - Reducing the Burden
(reporting.pdf - 1963 KB)

Additional information

Analysis of Existing Feasible Mechanisms for Streamlining Greenhouse and Energy Reporting by Business to Government - prepared by URS Australia Pty Ltd

Documents are available for downloading as PDF files (PDF help).
If you are unable to access these documents, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.