Opposition pushes bill to roll back costly Australian emissions reporting rules

Jane Hume, deputy opposition leader, is set to introduce a bill aimed at dramatically scaling back Australia’s mandatory climate and sustainability reporting obligations for companies. She argues the rules force businesses, especially family-owned ones, to undertake complex and costly emissions calculations, with Treasury projecting first-year modelling expenses of roughly $245,000 per entity and $160,000 each subsequent year.

The proposed legislation would also remove reporting duties for firms earning between $50 million and $200 million, a group due to be added to the regime from July 1, 2027. Critics say the changes would push small suppliers toward larger providers capable of handling the reporting burden. The proposal arrives less than a week after the High Court overturned approval for a coal-mine expansion in the Hunter Valley, a decision that Nationals leader Matt Canavan said adds uncertainty to Australian production. On the same day, the Federal Court reversed a Commonwealth order that had stopped a billion-dollar gold mine near Blayney, NSW.