Australian Governments Agree on Energy Efficiency

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has agreed to develop a National Strategy for Energy Efficiency, to be implemented by June 2009. This will commence with a regulation impact statement, then national legislation for appliance energy performance standards and labelling. In my "Personal Computer and Monitors Energy Efficiency Strategy" commissioned for the environment department, I recommended some additional measures to speed the process.

COAG has agreed to develop a National Strategy for Energy Efficiency, to accelerate energy efficiency efforts across all governments and to help households and businesses prepare for the introduction of the Commonwealth Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS). Streamlined roles and responsibilities for energy efficiency policies and programs are to be agreed by end December 2008, and implementation of this Strategy will be finalised by June 2009, to ensure that programs assisting households and businesses to reduce their energy costs are in place prior to the introduction of the CPRS.

As a first step towards establishing a truly national approach, COAG has agreed to develop, subject to a regulation impact statement, national legislation for appliance energy performance standards and labelling to simplify enforcement and ensure consistency, and to direct officials to develop this option for COAG consideration as part of the National Strategy for Energy Efficiency. This will reduce transaction costs for business and accelerate the rollout of new standards and labels for products.

From: Communiqué, COAG, 2 October 2008