Carbon Credits and Other Legislation Amendment (Integrity and Transparency) Bill 2026
Ms WITTY (Melbourne) (11:22): I rise to support the Carbon Credits and Other Legislation Amendment (Integrity and Transparency) Bill 2026. In Melbourne, the people I represent care deeply about environmental outcomes. They want cleaner air, healthier waterways, more renewable energy, stronger protections for biodiversity and meaningful action on climate change.
But they also expect accountability, they expect evidence and they expect transparency. Australians are being asked to support significant change as we transition to a cleaner economy. Communities are investing in renewable energy, businesses are changing the way they operate, households are embracing cleaner technologies and industry is adapting for the future.
People have every right to expect that the systems supporting those changes are robust, transparent and worthy of public trust. That is what this bill is about. It's about strengthening the institutions and frameworks that underpin Australia's climate response.
It is about ensuring that, when emission reductions are measured, reported or credited, Australians can have confidence in the integrity of the system behind them. The Albanese Labor government has spent the last four years rebuilding Australia's climate architecture after a decade in which far too much time was wasted debating whether action should occur at all.
Labor came to government with a clear mandate to get on with the job. One of the first things we did was set a target to cut Australia's emissions by 43 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, while reaffirming our commitment to reaching net zero by 2050. Those targets provide certainty for investors, businesses and communities about Australia's direction.
Since Australia re-elected the Albanese government in 2025, we have continued this ambitious work. Whether it's strengthening the safeguard mechanism, delivering the new vehicle efficiency standard, establishing the nature repair market or supporting the next generation of renewable energy and storage projects through the Capacity Investment Scheme, the common thread is clear: we are moving Australia forward, we are reducing emissions and we are doing it in a way that creates opportunity, jobs and investment.
Across my community, people understand that climate action is also an economic opportunity. They see the innovation happening in clean technology. They see the investment flowing into renewable energy.
They see new industries emerging, and they know Australia cannot afford to be left behind while the rest of the world moves forward. That is precisely why this legislation is so important, because climate action only succeeds when people trust the framework supporting it. Australia's carbon credit scheme has become an important part of our emissions reduction effort.
Carbon credits support projects that reduce emissions. They support projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere, creating opportunities for landholders, supporting regional communities, expanding environmental restoration and partnering with First Nations communities, particularly in projects on country. The Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme now underpins a substantial carbon market that plays an important role in Australia's pathway towards net zero.
But, as the scheme grows, expectations grow with it. Australians should not simply be expected to accept environmental claims at face value. People want confidence that emissions reductions are real, that credit represents genuine outcomes and that rigorous oversight exists to ensure the integrity of the scheme.
That is why I believe the most significant reform in this legislation is the establishment of the independent Carbon Abatement Integrity Committee. This committee will strengthen the independent oversight of carbon credit methods. It replaces the current arrangements with a body that brings greater transparency, broader expertise and stronger integrity safeguards to the scheme.
For the people I represent, this sits at the heart of what good environmental policy looks like: strong ambition, strong delivery and strong accountability. Australians deserve confidence that claims are backed by evidence, that assessments are informed by expertise and that governments are willing to put independent scrutiny at the centre of important policy frameworks.
That is exactly what these reforms do. People in Melbourne want climate action, but they also want proof that it is working. Because we are asking Australians to support climate action, they deserve confidence that carbon credits are delivering genuine emission reductions and real environmental outcomes.
The creation of the committee also says something broader about the Albanese Labor government's approach: we are not afraid of scrutiny, we are not afraid of expert advice and we are not afraid to improve systems when improvements are identified. The independent review conducted by Professor Ian Chubb found the ACCU scheme was fundamentally sound while recommending reforms to strengthen integrity and public confidence.
The government listened and acted. When experts identify opportunities for improvement, governments should respond. When institutes can be strengthened, they should be strengthened.
That is exactly what is happening here. Of course, the Carbon Abatement Integrity Committee is not the only reform contained in this legislation. This bill recognises public confidence is built through a range of improvements across the system.
The legislation strengthens compliance and enforcement powers where incorrect information has been provided. It creates clearer pathways to deal with situations where carbon credits may have been overissued. It introduces mechanisms that can be used in exceptional circumstances where concerns emerge regarding a carbon credit mythology.
These are sensible safeguards because good governance requires strong guardrails. The legislation also recognises that Australia's success in reducing emissions will depend on innovation. One thing I hear from clean technology companies, researchers and innovators is that government policy should support the development of new solutions.
Australia will not reach net zero using only the technologies we have today. We will also rely on the technologies being developed right now. This legislation removes barriers that may have discouraged participation in research and development, and creates greater flexibility for future carbon credit methods, helping support innovation while maintaining integrity standards.
That means new ideas, new investments and new opportunities to reduce emissions. The bill also strengthens the role of First Nations people within the carbon credit scheme. Projects on native title and claimed native title land will require stronger consent processes earlier in the project lifecycle, helping ensure traditional owners can participate in a meaningful way before projects proceed.
The legislation also recognises registered native title claimants as eligible interest holders. These are welcome reforms. Traditional owners have cared for country for tens of thousands of years.
Environmental policy is stronger when First Nations knowledge informs decision-making. Partnerships are stronger when communities are engaged from the beginning, and good outcomes are more likely when respect is embedded in the system itself. The legislation also improves transparency within Australia's greenhouse gas reporting framework.
That may sound technical, but good climate policy depends on good information. If we want accountability, we need transparency. If we want effective policy, we need accurate reporting and, if Australians are going to judge whether governments are delivering, they deserve reliable information on which to make that judgement.
The bill also makes targeted changes to the new vehicle efficiency standard to ensure that it operates as originally intended and provides certainty for industry as it works to reduce emissions from new vehicles. Taken together, this legislative changes tell a much bigger story. They show a government that understands climate policy is never set and forget.
Good policy evolves, strong institutions evolve, and government should always be prepared to improve systems as expectations grow and circumstances change. The truth is that climate action in Australia has changed significantly over the last decade. The debate is no longer simply whether Australia should act; the conversation is increasingly about how we act effectively, how we build public confidence and how we ensure environmental policies deliver measurable results.
This government is stepping up to answer these questions. We are strengthening emission reduction policies, we are backing renewable energy, we are restoring integrity to climate, and we are investing in the industries that will power Australia's future. Through legislation like this, we are ensuring the system supporting those efforts remains credible, transparent and trusted.
Reaching net zero will not be achieved through a single announcement, a single project or a single piece of legislation. It requires sustained effort, it requires long-term thinking, and it requires institutions that Australians have confidence in. Labor is rebuilding Australia's climate architecture piece by piece—stronger emission targets, stronger safeguards, cleaner transport, more renewable energy, and, now, stronger oversights of our carbon credit system.
This is practical climate action that reduces emissions while building confidence in the systems that support it. The people of Melbourne expect climate action that is ambitious, but they also expect it to be delivered. They want governments that are prepared to make decisions, prepared to build institutions, prepared to strengthen safeguards, and prepared to improve policies when improvements are needed.
That is what this legislation does, and it is exactly what the Albanese Labor government has been doing since Australians returned us to government in 2025. Since then, we have continued strengthening Australia's climate framework. We have continued driving investment into renewable energy.
We have continued backing cleaner industries. We have continued supporting the transition to a lower-emission economy. And we have continued doing the hard work of rebuilding public confidence in the institutions that underpin climate and environmental policy, because tackling climate change is not achieved through speeches, it is not achieved through slogans and it is not achieved by standing on the sidelines pointing out problems while refusing to engage in the work of fixing them.
Real progress comes from building things. It comes from improving laws. It comes from bringing people together and it comes from having the courage to make practical reforms that move the country forward.
Australians are tired of the old climate debates, they are tired of delay and they are tired of hearing why something cannot be done. What they want is progress—progress that lowers emissions, progress that protects the environment, progress that creates jobs and investment and progress that leaves Australia stronger for the next generation. That's what Australians voted for.
That is what the people of Melbourne expect. And that is what this government is delivering. As the member for Melbourne I am proud to be part of a government that understands that protecting our environment is not separate from building Australia's future.
A cleaner economy, more renewable energy, stronger environmental protections, lower emissions, better institutions—those outcomes do not happen by accident; they happen because governments chose to act and they happen because governments remain focused on outcomes rather than endless arguments. Climate change will not wait for another decade of delay. Australians expect progress.
This legislation does exactly that. It strengthens Australia's carbon credit framework, it strengthens accountability and it strengthens Australia's ability to continue reducing emissions in the future. I am proud to represent the people of Melbourne in a government that is getting on with the work of delivering real action on climate change.
I commend this bill to the House.