Date: 21st August 2026
Submitted to: Climate Change Authority
Short Description
The Smart Energy Council provided a submission to the Climate Change Authority regarding its Annual Progress Advice 2026 consultation, calling for legacy coal-fired power stations to be brought under the Safeguard Mechanism to prevent uncoordinated closure delays.
While supporting reference pathways to track national emissions, we emphasised that policy settings must urgently address structural delays across industrial, grid and transport decarbonisation.
Our recommendations encourage the Authority to tighten Safeguard Mechanism baseline decline rates, cap offset reliance to force direct onsite abatement, reform fossil fuel subsidies like the Fuel Tax Credit, and accelerate household electrification.
This submission will inform the Climate Change Authority’s annual advice to the Australian Government on national progress and policy settings.
