Bill
Liability for Climate Change Damage (Make the Polluters Pay) Bill 2020
lapsed, as at 2020-11-10. (s) BANDT, Adam, MP portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Adam Bandt
- Portfolio
- (s) BANDT, Adam, MP
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2020-02-24
- second reading — 2020-02-24
- other — 2020-11-10
Divisions
No divisions recorded. Most questions are decided on the voices; this does not establish that a bill was unopposed.
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2020-02-24.
This bill would make fossil fuel companies legally responsible for damage caused by climate change.
It would allow victims, the Commonwealth Attorney-General, or a state or territory attorney-general to sue major emitters in the Federal Court for injunctions or damages.
A major emitter is defined as a company that produces fossil fuels or operates coal-fired power stations and emits over 1 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in any 12-month period starting on or after 1 September 1990.
- Creates a new right for victims of climate change damage to sue fossil fuel companies.
- Defines major emitters as those emitting over 1 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in a 12-month period since 1 September 1990.
- Allows the court to assume a major emitter's share of damage is at least proportional to its share of global emissions.
- Gives the Federal Court power to grant injunctions requiring emitters to reduce or cease activities causing future damage.
- Applies the Act retrospectively from 1 July 2019.
- Makes liability apply even if the production or operation was authorised by law.
Fossil fuel companies, including thermal coal, oil and gas producers and owners or operators of coal-fired power stations, and victims of climate change damage such as bushfire survivors.
Sources
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