Key Greenhouse Response Strategy in Energy and Transport for Australia: A Discussion Paper

1.1 Require mandatory annual reporting of their own GHG emissions by all government departments, agencies and state-owned corporations at all levels of government.

1.2 Introduce in-house carbon levies to fund emission reduction within their own operations, and encourage or require adoption of such internal levies by participants in greenhouse challenge and other government programs.

1.3 Foster education, information and training about sustainable energy and transport in schools, universities, vocational education and training institutes, and the community at large.

2.1 Implement national mandatory energy and greenhouse labelling, and national mandatory minimum energy and greenhouse performance standards for a wide range of appliances and equipment, including all new motor vehicles, that become increasingly stringent every 5 years.

2.2 Continue to develop national model codes for buildings, and make codes for energy efficiency increasingly stringent every 5 years, publishing schedules for improvement 5 years ahead.

2.3 Increase the "2% target" for renewable electricity in 2010 to 5%: i.e. increase the percentage of electricity provided by renewable energy in 2010 by an amount equivalent to 5% of projected total electricity demand in 2010. Including existing renewables (mostly large-scale hydro-electricity), this means that a total of about 15% of Australian electricity generated in 2010 would come from renewables.

2.4 Set a similar target for solar heat: i.e. increase the percentage of heat provided by solar energy in 2010 by an amount equivalent to 5% of projected total heat use in 2010.

2.5 Set an average fuel consumption target for the category of motor vehicles comprising all new cars, four-wheel-drives and light commercial vehicles in 2010 of 6 litres per 100 km.

2.6 Set increasingly stringent targets for electricity generation, heat use and fuel consumption of motor vehicles for 2020 and 2030 that enable the 2030 GHG emission target to be met.

2.7 Increase the Australian Greenhouse Office’s funding for the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) program for local governments from the present level of $13M over 5 years to 10 times that level for the next 5 years and maintain that level to 2020 at least.