Environment
Mixed outlook for agriculture in 2023
It’s a mixed outlook for agriculture in the coming year, with grains and lamb expected to perform well while the number of dairy farmers leaving the industry takes a toll. Rural Bank’s 2023 outlook also listed global economic challenges and continuing high...[Read More]
Electric car tax cuts welcome, more wanted
Federal budget tax cuts for electric cars and moves to create a national electric vehicle charging network in Australia have been welcomed by motoring and environmental groups overnight. The policies could shave $4700 off the cost of buying an electric car for an...[Read More]
Expert finds short cut to emissions target
Australia can meet its emissions reduction target and ease its biodiversity crisis if it decides to end logging in native forests, a leading climate scientist says. Professor Brendan Mackey, who has co-authored reports for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,...[Read More]
Farmers ‘big winners’ in UK trade deal
Australia’s agricultural sector would be the big winner in a new free trade deal with the UK, the chief negotiator says. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Elisabeth Bowes has told a parliamentary inquiry ratifying the agreement would bring huge...[Read More]
Australia urged to help climate diplomacy
Australia must pull its weight in the Pacific and go harder on cutting emissions, according to international climate leaders. South Korea’s Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations, told a forum in Canberra on Tuesday that the clean energy race...[Read More]
Aussies want green transport options, fast
Australians overwhelmingly want governments to splash cash on a fast transition to green transport options that will save them money and fight climate change, a national survey shows. A YouGov poll of 2160 Australians, commissioned by the Climate Council, found 80 per...[Read More]
Energy change needs thousands of sparkies
Australia must train tens of thousands of new sparkies if it wants to be a renewable energy superpower, according to the Electrical Trades Union. The warning comes as Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen hosts a jobs summit in Canberra on Tuesday with...[Read More]
Job boon for regions from phasing out coal
New economic modelling has tallied the likely jobs from replacing Australia’s ageing fleet of coal-fired power plants with wind, solar and batteries, new coal or gas-fired generation. Powering Australian growth for decades, communities in Gladstone in Queensland,...[Read More]
Most Australians worry over climate change
Weeks after floods devastated massive swathes of NSW and QLD, climate change remains a major concern for Australians as they head into the polls. A new Ipsos survey has found that 83 per cent of Australians are worried about the debilitating effects of climate change...[Read More]
Next PM urged to prioritise climate action
An alliance of emergency responders, diplomats, defence personnel and healthcare professionals is calling on Australia’s next government to urgently prioritise action on climate change. In an open letter to “the incoming prime minister”, the group...[Read More]
Low-emissions tech sector eyes tax break
Developers of low-emissions technologies and other innovators may win tax breaks in the upcoming budget after months of lobbying. The aim is to attract investment and avoid a brain drain by encouraging businesses to do their R&D in Australia and keep intellectual...[Read More]
New gas, technologies key to energy future
More gas, low-emission technologies and critical minerals will power Australia’s economic growth and energy future, according to a budget blueprint. Some 140 categories of low-emissions technologies will get access to new tax concessions under expanded...[Read More]
Government streamlines project approvals under environmental law
A $128 million package to cut red and green tape and streamline approvals under environmental law has been unveiled ahead of the federal budget. More than $60 million will go towards up to 10 regional plans in priority development regions to protect areas of...[Read More]
Climate change drives up food prices
Australians can expect more expensive groceries and more empty supermarket shelves thanks to climate change, according to new research. The Fork in the Road report released on Wednesday by Farmers for Climate Action looked at the impacts of climate change on...[Read More]