News Stories - 20 March 2008
Australian Government announces timetable on emissions trading
The Australian Government is progressing its plan to introduce a comprehensive national emissions trading scheme by 2010.
The Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, announced on 17 March the Australian Government’s detailed timetable for the introduction of emissions trading. Emissions trading is central to achieving the Government’s goal of reducing Australia’s greenhouse emissions by 60 per cent by 2050. The Government has outlined several initial design principles for an effective emissions trading scheme: The scheme will be a ‘cap and trade’ scheme.
Scheme caps will be designed to place Australia on a low emissions path in a way that best manages the economic costs of transition, while ensuring ongoing economic prosperity.
The scheme will have maximal coverage of greenhouse gas emissions and industry sectors, to the extent this is practical. The system will be designed to enable international linkages, while ensuring it suits Australian economic conditions. The design will address the competitive challenges facing emissions-intensive trade-exposed industries in Australia.
Measures will be developed to assist households, particularly low income households, adjust to the impact of carbon prices. The timetable includes several important stages, including:
July 2008: public release of a Green Paper on emissions trading design, drawing on preliminary consultations;
December 2008: public release of exposure draft legislation;
March - Mid 2009: Bill considered by Parliament;
2009: Consultation on emissions trading regulations;
Third quarter 2009: Act enters into force, regulator established;
2010: Emissions trading scheme will commence.
Consultation with relevant stakeholders will be a key part of the process. An important step will be the release of a Green Paper in early July 2008, to ncourage the community and industry to continue offering their ideas on the design and implementation of the scheme. The design of emissions trading will also be informed by economic modelling work being undertaken by the Australian Treasury, the work of the Garnaut Climate Change Review (the independent study by Australian Professor Ross Garnaut on the impacts of climate change on the Australian economy), and the work done to date at the Federal, State and Territory levels.
Australia ramps up bid for world’s largest telescope
Australia is taking concrete steps to advance its bid to host the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.
Australia has been short-listed as one of two potential sites to host the SKA, a large-scale, next-generation radio telescope being developed by scientists from more than 46 institutions across 19 countries.
Australia’s bid to host the SKA is progressing well. The Australian Government is funding the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to build the Australian SKA Pathfinder Telescope (ASKAP), which will be a major pathfinder instrument for the SKA, as well as a world-class astronomical telescope in its own right. The Australian Government and the Government of Western Australia are working closely together to establish the world’s best radio-astronomy site in mid-West Western Australia, initially as home to ASKAP, but ultimately to offer an outstanding site for the international SKA project.
Australia will host an international SKA Forum in Perth on 9 April.
The Forum will be a significant opportunity to showcase Australia’s SKA site in Western Australia, and advance Australia’s international SKA bid. The Forum is the highlight of a two-week roster of SKA events including a scientific conference and a meeting of the international SKA Science and Engineering Committee.
It is expected that approximately 150 people will attend, including government officials, scientists, industry people and other stakeholders, with approximately half coming from overseas. The Australian Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Mr Kim Carr, recently visited Europe to promote Australia’s bid with Europe’s science and research leaders. The visit resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Australia’s CSIRO and its German counterpart, the Max Planck Institute for radio astronomy for cooperation on the SKA. The Western Australian State Government recently announced the creation of a $20 million International Radio Astronomy Research Centre to boost Australia’s chances of winning the SKA project.
The Centre will add to Western Australia’s already significant radio astronomy research capability and will combine pure radio astronomy science with the development of new ICT and engineering systems.
News Stories - 13 March 2008
Visit by Prime Minister Rudd to Papua New Guinea
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s visit to Papua New Guinea, from 6 -7 March, marked the beginning of a new chapter in Australia’s relations with Papua New Guinea.
Prime Minister Rudd, accompanied by Parliamentary Secretaries Duncan Kerr and Bob McMullan, visited Papua New Guinea from 6 - 7 March.
The visit ushered in a new era of cooperation between Australia and Papua New Guinea. Prime Ministers Rudd and Somare highlighted their desire for closer cooperation bilaterally and as partners within the region. The ‘Port Moresby Declaration’ issued by Mr Rudd formalised Australia’s commitment to a new approach to managing Australia’s relations with its Pacific neighbours based on partnership, mutual respect and mutual responsibility.
A key element of this commitment will be new Pacific Partnerships for Development, to be agreed between Australia and Pacific island countries, in which Australia will provide increased development assistance over time in return for commitments from individual governments to improve governance and increase investment in economic infrastructure.
The full text of the Port Moresby Declaration can be found at http://www.pm.gov.au/media/Release/2008/media_release_0118.cfm
The two Prime Ministers also signed a Forest Carbon Partnership to tackle the challenge of climate change through reduced emissions from deforestation.
This is an example of cooperation which recognises Papua New Guinea’s leadership in calling for action on deforestation by developing nations.
Initial collaboration will include a new strategic policy dialogue on climate change, Australian technical assistance to increase Papua New Guinea’s capacity in forest carbon monitoring and assessment, and exchange of information and expertise to support Papua New Guinea’s participation in international carbon markets.
Australia is pleased to have Mr Somare’s support for Australia’s bid to host the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting in 2009.
Mr Rudd and Mr Somare agreed it was important to reach an outcome on the future of the Kokoda Track which addresses the interests of all concerned, including local landholders.
The first Australia-Papua New Guinea Ministerial Forum to be held since 2005 will take place in Madang, Papua New Guinea, on 23 April 2008.
Australia intends to send a strong ministerial delegation, led by Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, accompanied by Parliamentary Secretaries Kerr and McMullan, to follow up the issues discussed during Mr Rudd’s visit.
Visit by Prime Minister Rudd to Solomon Islands
The recent series of high-level two-way visits between Australia and Solomon Islands has provided an opportunity to re-establish a close and constructive relationship.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, accompanied by Parliamentary Secretaries Duncan Kerr and Bob McMullan, visited Solomon Islands on 8 March 2008.
Mr Rudd’s visit closely follows Foreign Minister Stephen Smith’s visit to Solomon Islands on 21-22 February and the visit to Australia by Solomon Islands Prime Minister Derek Sikua and Foreign Minister William Haomae on 23 January.
Mr Rudd’s visit provided an opportunity to further build on the shared commitment to work in partnership, both bilaterally and through the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), to deliver better outcomes for the people of Solomon Islands.
During this visit, Mr Rudd and Dr Sikua agreed that our two countries would work together to establish a Pacific Partnership for Development – a bilateral agreement emphasising mutual commitments to improve long-term development outcomes.
Mr Rudd announced $14.5 million in additional bilateral aid assistance:
- $3 million for the rehabilitation and maintenance of rural roads;
- $1.5 million for the construction of shelters in communities affected by the April 2007 earthquake and tsunami; and
- $10 million in 2008-09 to support work in other priority areas, including infrastructure, health, technical education, fisheries and reforestation.
Mr Rudd and Dr Sikua noted that aeronautical authorities had finalised a mutual exchange of fifth freedom air traffic rights to allow Solomon Islands and Australian airlines to fly through intermediate points in Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Nauru.
Dr Sikua indicated his support for Mr Rudd’s proposal that Australia host the 2009 Pacific Islands Forum.
Australia taking the lead on women’s sexual and reproductive health in post-crisis situations
A new Australian aid program aims to improve sexual and reproductive health in the Asia-Pacific for women in humanitarian crises.
On 18 February the Australian Government launched the $3 million 'SPRINT' program - Sexual and Reproductive Health Program in Crisis and Post-Crisis Situations in East, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific.
The program is part of Australia’s commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and will be funded by AusAID, Australia’s international development assistance agency.
The initiative aims to reduce the incidence of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths in the Asia-Pacific region.
Globally more than 500,000 women die each year as a result of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
High maternal mortality and child mortality persist in our region. Australia is providing targeted programs for women's and children's health as part of the Government's commitment to achieve the MDGs of reducing child mortality and improving maternal health by 2015.
In the past decade there has been a significant increase in the number of crises faced by countries in the Asia-Pacific region, either through natural disasters, climatic variation, political instability or civil unrest.
The Australian Government considers it essential that civil society organisations be involved in the response to humanitarian crises and the promotion of sustainable development because of their capacity to engage quickly and promote community ownership of recovery efforts.
AusAID will be working in partnership with the International Planned Parenthood Federation and its partners from the University of New South Wales and Australian Reproductive Health Alliance on this important SPRINT initiative.