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Coalition Seeks to Undo Scope-3 Emissions Reporting After NSW High Court Ruling
By Drooid · · How we work
Coalition’s Push to Repeal Scope-3 Reporting Rules
The federal Coalition announced it will move to roll back recently introduced rules that require Australian fossil-fuel producers to disclose the greenhouse-gas emissions generated when their products are burned overseas (scope 3 emissions). The party frames the requirements as “absurd” and argues they hinge on wording in New South Wales planning law rather than on any real climate-harm mitigation.
High Court Decision on Scope-3 Considerations
A majority of three judges of the New South Wales High Court held that the state’s Independent Planning Commission had failed to follow existing law by not properly considering scope 3 emissions when assessing conditions for the Mount Pleasant coal mine.
Government and Judicial Remarks
National Party leader Matt Canavan labeled the court’s finding “net zero on steroids,” echoing the Coalition’s view that the rules amount to an overreach. The Coalition maintains that the United Nations climate convention assigns emissions to the country where they are released, so Australian authorities should not be held accountable for emissions occurring abroad.
Verbatim Quotes
- “These requirements on the planning commission to consider scope 3 emissions have been part of the New South Wales planning system in one form or another for almost 20 years,” — Prof Jacqueline Peel, a leading international climate law expert at the University of Melbourne
- “Maybe [this decision] is construed as radical by some because if you do start to impose conditions on emissions generated overseas, then it could make coal production more expensive,” — Prof Jacqueline Peel, a leading international climate law expert at the University of Melbourne
