The federal government will be less able to delay the release of embarrassing national carbon pollution figures after the Senate approved rolling deadlines for the quarterly data.
The Greens secured Labor and crossbench support of a so-called order of continuing effect that requires the government to table the Greenhouse Gas Inventory figures within five months of the end of each quarter, or provide an explanation for any delay.
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| Regular emission updates in the winds: AGL's Bayswater black-coal-fired power station in the Hunter Valley. Credit: Glen McCurtayne |
The average delay between the end of each quarter and the publishing of the pollution figures went from about four to five months under the Gillard government, to as long as seven months at the start of the Abbott term. At least one case involved sitting on almost a year's worth of data.
The Morrison government stirred controversy by releasing its March 2018 quarterly pollution figures late on September 28, the eve of a busy weekend of football grand finals and a day dominated by the news of the interim banking royal commission report.
The report showed emissions jumped to their highest level since 2010, spurred by increased LNG production. Emissions have been rising for four years, placing them on a trajectory at odds with Australia's Paris climate commitment to cut 2005-level pollution by 26-28 per cent by 2030.
'Unacceptable'
Adam Bandt, the Greens climate spokesman, said the data was some of the most important collected by the government, and they shouldn't "get to hide it from the public".
“We wouldn’t let the Treasurer hide the unemployment figures because they were going in the wrong direction, but that’s what the Environment Minister [Melissa Price] is getting away with," Mr Bandt said.
“It’s unacceptable that a document with significant public importance is released whenever the government feels like no one will notice it."
Fairfax Media sought comment from Ms Price. Ms Price on Wednesday told question time in Parliament that Australia had met previous climate emissions commitments and would meet the Paris one as well.
Mark Butler, Labor's climate spokesman, said the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison governments had "all deliberately delayed the release of damning figures which highlight that under their leadership carbon pollution is rising".
"We know the government sat on the latest emissions data for seven weeks before trying to bury the figures by sneaking it out late on a Friday evening on the weekend of the AFL and NRL grand finals," he said, adding another tactic had been to release such data during the week around Christmas.
The Australian Conservation Foundation, which has used freedom of information laws to prise out data, welcomed the move towards more consistent information flows.
“Ultimately, ACF believes the government should set a release schedule that specifies a time and date for the public release of this data, as happens with the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ release on the National Accounts," Kelly O'Shanassy, the foundation's chief executive officer, said.
“One of the well-equipped independent bodies working on climate change, like the Clean Energy Regulator or the Climate Change Authority, should have the responsibility of preparing and releasing this data."
Of the crossbenchers, Tim Storer, Derryn Hinch and the Centre Alliance senators supported the motion.
Links
- 'Terrible': Rising gas output lifts Australia's greenhouse gas emissions
- 'For the Pacific it's always about cash': Environment Minister in diplomatic incident over climate change
- Farmers facing drought are on the front line of climate change
- 'Jaw dropping': New Zealand offers lessons in tackling climate change
- 'Heat shock': Bad news for beer industry lurks
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