Energy Minister Chris Bowen doesn't rule out carbon tariff on high emissions producing imports
Chris Bowen has been accused of following 'Donald Trump's lead' over comments suggesting Australia could force carbon tariffs on emission-heavy imports.
Mr Bowen didn't rule out enacting a carbon tariff on carbon-heavy sectors like cement and lime, stating that 'we'll have more to say during the course of this term'.
He said decisions would be made to 'ensure Australian industry is best placed to complete in a decarbonising world'.
'I'd urge against sweeping generalisations about policy settings,' he told the ABC on Sunday.
'What could be the case is obviously we look at particular sectors first, around cement and lime are places that we've looked at in particular, but again, I'm not going to get in front of the process.'
Mr Bowen also referred to the Carbon Leakage Review which was conducted by Professor Frank Jotzo.
Initial findings backed a border carbon adjustment mechanism that would make importers pay for the carbon created during production, identifying at-risk commodities like cement, lime and clinker, and moderate risk products like steel, glass and ammonia.
'We asked Professor Jotzo to look at this, he's been doing excellent work consulting Australian industry very heavily,' he said.
'I've had lots of meetings with steel makers and cement makers about these things over the past 12 months, for example, getting their feedback, and we'll have more to say during the course of this term.'
Newly installed Coalition energy and emissions reduction spokesman Dan Tehan seized on Mr Bowen's comments.
'Now before the election, Chris Bowen, this arrogant minister, said nothing about carbon tariffs, and yet, here he is immediately after the election, talking about putting them in place,' he said in a video shared on social media.
'Now let's have a look at what this minister has presided over. He's put our energy security at risk. He's put electricity prices up, he's put gas prices up, and he's put emissions up, and now he wants to follow Donald Trump's lead and put in place tariffs. What a mess.'
Appearing on Insiders, Mr Bowen also maintained that Australia is 'by and large on track' to meet our 43 per cent 2030 emission reduction targets, despite figures released on Friday revealing that emissions had increased year-on-year by 0.05 per cent.
While Mr Bowen conceded Australia needed to 'do more' to reach net zero by 2050, he said output from renewables were 'very encouraging,' while transport remained an issue.
'Now our new vehicle efficiency standards only came into force on 1 January, for example. I wouldn't pretend that they've yet had an impact,' he said.
'These are the sorts of things that we need to keep going on to ensure that we can achieve and will achieve a 43 per cent emissions reduction, which I'm very confident we can and will.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Shadow industrial relations minister Tim Wilson backs wage rise but blasts Labor for ‘milking' small business
The Coalition has expressed support for the recent minimum wage increase but warned the Albanese government is failing businesses who must absorb higher labour costs. Shadow industrial relations minister Tim Wilson told Sky News Sunday Agenda that Labor has left small businesses behind due to its economic inaction. 'As Liberals, we always support higher wages. The big question for all of us is, what is the government then doing to help small business to be able to afford them?' Mr Wilson said. 'They're not helping small business on tax, they're not helping small business on regulation. They're not doing anything to improve the overall economic conditions. 'We've just got government milking small business rather than empowering them to be in a position to afford these wage increases.' His remarks follow the Fair Work Commission decision to lift the national minimum wage by 3.5 per cent—equating to an extra $0.84 per hour, bringing the rate to $24.94. The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) has warned the wage increase could tip vulnerable businesses over the edge. 'Ultimately, someone needs to pay here and overwhelmingly that will be small business,' COSBOA CEO Luke Achterstraat said on Tuesday. 'The irony here is that our industrial relations system continues to be a drag on productivity, and that is bad for workers and businesses.' Mr Achterstraat reiterated COSBOA's longstanding call for productivity reform to accompany wage growth. 'We have repeatedly warned that higher wages without higher productivity is a disaster waiting to happen,' he said. 'To ensure that our children don't endure a lower standard of living than us, we need to boost productivity – our workplace settings have a direct impact on this outcome.' Mr Wilson said the real path to higher wages lies in supporting overall business growth, not simply raising minimum wages. 'If the answer to improving wages is seeing small businesses fall over, we're not actually improving opportunities for more jobs, better paid jobs,' he said. 'The Liberal solution to getting wages up is to have small businesses being successful.' Mr Wilson also flagged the need to modernise Australia's industrial relations system to prepare for future challenges, including the rise of artificial intelligence. 'If we don't actually grapple with this and lead into this challenge, we might as a nation find ourselves very much in a position of being uncompetitive,' he warned. 'Labor's outdated thinking around industrial relations is based on the legacy of 19th century thinking. It's not based on where my focus is, which is building an employment environment for the 21st century.' The minimum wage increase will come into effect on July 1.
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
'It's real, it's fast': Shadow employment minister Tim Wilson sounds alarm on the threat of AI on Australia's workforce
Shadow employment minister Tim Wilson has sounded the alarm on artificial intelligence (AI) being on track to upturn Australia's workforce. Mr Wilson, who oversees the Coalition's industrial relations, employment and small business portfolios, said the Albanese government had 'outdated thinking' which risked Australia becoming 'uncompetitive' if it fails to adapt to the unstoppable force of AI. Speaking to Sky News Sunday Agenda, Mr Wilson expressed concern about 'emergent challenges' surrounding industrial relations, particularly the advent of AI. ' A classic example (of future IR challenges)… is going to be the emergence of artificial intelligence and how it's going to change the structure of the workplace,' he said. 'If we don't actually grapple with this and lean into this challenge, we might as a nation find ourselves very much in a position of being uncompetitive.' Mr Wilson said the employment uptake of US graduates into industries exposed to AI had declined and warned the same challenge was 'coming at us'. 'It's real. It's fast, and it's going to be one that we have to start to lean into as a country,' he said. 'A lot of Labor's outdated thinking around industrial relations is based on the legacy of 19th century thinking. It is not based on where my focus is, which is building an employment environment for the 21st century.' Last week, Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg told Sky News that Mr Wilson made a 'good point' by highlighting the Australian education system was not keeping up with the demand for AI in the workforce. Mr Bragg said Australia needed to prepare for the 'massive disruption' AI would have. 'Right now, what you see is a huge war between China and the US on who can best develop and deploy AI in their economy,' he said. 'I don't think we had the opportunity to talk to the Australian people about the great opportunities that can be found in these disruptive technologies like AI. 'But the good news is we still have time to do it over the next few years, and that's what we're looking to do alongside our other economic colleagues, Ted O'Brien, James Paterson, Tim Wilson.'
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Trade Minister Don Farrell says meeting with US Trade Rep Jamieson Greer was ‘friendly,' not ‘difficult'
Trade Minister Don Farrell has detailed the discussion he had with his US counterpart Jamieson Greer, revealing he had the 'greatest confidence' in Anthony Albanese during an expected meeting with Donald Trump next weekend. Senator Farrell spoke to the US Trade Representative while in Paris last week and characterised the talk as 'friendly'. Despite this, he maintained the tariffs were 'simply unjustified', highlighting Australia's trade surplus with the US. Figures indicate Australia buys about $70bn worth of goods from the US, compared to the $30bn of exports Australia sells to America. 'It wasn't a difficult discussion in terms of the relationship between us, and I am certainly of the view that we have the opportunity to continue to talk with Jamieson and Commerce Secretary Lutnick to put our case across,' he said. Senator Farrell also said he was still determined to get the trade barriers slashed. 'It's only by open discussion, honest discussion, with our allies in the United States that I think we can do that, but I certainly haven't given up on the prospect of getting these tariffs removed,' he said. 'And every opportunity I get, I'll continue to pursue that argument with the United States.' However, Senator Farrell said the decision will be ultimately made by Donald Trump, putting increased pressure on Mr Albanese's upcoming meeting with the US President. He said that while there were a 'range of ways' in which Australia communicates with the US, the 'most important … relationship between our prime minister and the president of the United States'. 'Look every meeting, I think, between an Australian Prime Minister and the US president will always be a critical meeting and I have the greatest confidence in our prime minister to push the Australian point of view on this.' The trade barriers currently include a 50 per cent levy on steel, a 25 per cent tariffs on aluminium and a blanket 10 per cent on other goods. While Mr Albanese maintained he won't compromise on Australia's biosecurity, he hinted Australia could review current settings which don't allow the US to import beef which originates from Canada and Mexico. Mr Albanese has also ruled out changes to the Pharmaceuticals Benefit Scheme, News Media Bargaining code and incoming ban on social media for under-16s, while highlighting Australia's critical minerals industry as a potential bargaining chip. 'If things can be sorted out in a way that protects our biosecurity – of course, we don't just say no, we don't want imports in here for the sake of it,' he told ABC radio on Friday. 'But our first priority is biosecurity and there'll be no compromise on that.' Mr Albanese said Australia would not have a 'subservient relationship to any nation'. 'We're a sovereign nation that stand on our own two feet,' he said. Senator Farrell also said he was 'confident' Australia can secure a new trade deal with the European Union, with EU President Ursula von der Leyen expected to visit Australia in July or August. 'We've got lots of things that we can sell to the to the Europeans. I believe now that there's an appetite to reach an agreement on both sides,' he said. 'The world has changed, those countries that believe in free and fair trade have to work together.'
