Submission to the Climate Change Authority 4th Annual Report Issues Paper

ATSE has provided a submission to the Climate Change Authority consultation on their 2025 Annual Progress Report. ATSE's submission notes technology and policy options available to assist Australia to reach its emissions reduction targets.

Building on its previous advice to the Climate Change Authority in 2024, ATSE’s submission recommends increased energy research and development investment and reforming approval processes for green energy projects in order to progress towards emissions reduction targets. ATSE’s submission also references insights from its recent Decarbonising Diesel Industries report and suggests reviewing potential changes to the Safeguard Mechanism as an additional policy lever to accelerate Australia’s emissions reduction trajectory.

ATSE makes the following recommendations for the Climate Change Authority’s Fourth Annual Report:

Recommendation 1: Uplift Australian research and development investment, including in energy and climate science, and low-carbon technologies.

Recommendation 2: Reform approvals processes across jurisdictions for green energy projects to accelerate the rollout of renewable energy generation, storage and transmission infrastructure.

Recommendation 3: Expand the coverage of the Safeguard Mechanism to include more facilities by reducing the emissions threshold required for facility inclusion.

Recommendation 4: Consider additional measures to encourage facilities to meet their Safeguard Mechanism obligations through genuine emissions reductions.