Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has a strategic level of engagement with climate policy and demonstrates positive positions on specific Australian climate-related policies, including the Safeguard Mechanism reforms, New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, and Capacity Investment Scheme. The association consistently supports the transition towards a renewables-based energy system and advocates for Australia to become a “clean energy superpower”.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: The CEC displays positive top-line messaging on climate policy. It has repeatedly supported greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions consistent with the 1.5°C target, for example in its October 2023 Power Playbook. The association also appeared to support government regulation to respond to climate change in line with Australia’s GHG emissions reduction targets in a March 2024 consultation submission. In addition, in a September 2023 joint letter, the CEC called for government intervention to make sure carbon is priced into the economy.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: The CEC’s engagement with climate-related regulations in Australia is positive. The association displays supportive positions on Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism reforms and New Vehicle Efficiency Standard and has stated support for various renewable energy policies. In its September 2022 consultation submission on the Safeguard Mechanism reforms, the CEC advocated for declining baselines aligned with Australia’s emissions reduction targets, new facilities adopting best-practice baselines and the removal of headroom in the mechanism.
In a March 2024 consultation submission on the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, the association supported ambitious CO2 emission standards for light-duty vehicles, while also supporting Australia’s 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target. In addition, the CEC has repeatedly endorsed Australia’s 2030 renewable energy target, for example in a January 2024 consultation submission. The association also backed Australia’s Guarantee of Origin Scheme along with the Renewable Electricity Certification scheme in two separate February 2023 consultation submissions.
Positioning on Energy Transition: The CEC adopts largely supportive positions on the transition of the energy mix by urging ambitious action to fast-track the transition to renewables and the decarbonization of the power sector, while calling for the rapid phase-out of fossil fuels. In an April 2024 consultation submission, for example, the association advocated for the Australian Government's Energy and Electricity Sector Plan to phase out fossil-based gas and liquid fuels and promote electrification as the most important decarbonization strategy, underpinned by renewable energy and storage. In a March 2024 consultation submission, the association generally supported Australia’s expanded Capacity Investment Scheme to increase investment in the energy transition and urged the government to carefully manage the exit of thermal coal generation and invest in new renewable capacity. In addition, the CEO of the CEC, Kane Thornton, urgently called for specific regulatory measures to transition towards zero-carbon technologies and infrastructure, advocating for Australia to mirror the clean energy investments in the US Inflation Reduction Act in a February 2024 news article.
The CEC adopts broadly positive positions on the role of renewable hydrogen in the energy mix. For example, the association supported the role of renewable hydrogen in decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors in its August 2023 consultation submission on South Australia’s Green Paper on the energy transition. In addition, the CEC consistently backed the role of Australia’s Hydrogen Headstart Program in aiding the development of renewable hydrogen. However, in its August 2023 consultation submission on the Program, the association was unsupportive of including any additionality or temporal correlation criteria in the policy and deemed an emissions intensity threshold to be unnecessary.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the industry association’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically.
This summary was last updated in Q2 2024.