Independent expert advice on interim targets

The Panel’s final report was tabled in Parliament on 6 June 2019. This provides advice on:

• Recommended interim targets for 2025 and for 2030.
• Indicative trajectories for Victoria to achieve the long-term target of net zero emissions by 2050 based on the recommended interim targets.
• Potential opportunities to reduce emissions across the Victorian economy.

Independent Expert Panel: Interim Emissions Reduction Targets for Victoria (2021-2030) Final Report (PDF, 2.8 MB)

Independent Expert Panel: Interim Emissions Reduction Targets for Victoria (2021-2030) Final Report ACCESSIBLE VERSION (DOCX, 1.1 MB)

To support its analysis, the Panel commissioned further advice. These reports can be accessed below:

• Advice on applying Climate Change Authority emissions targets to Victoria (PDF, 515.4 KB)
• Advice on applying Climate Change Authority emissions targets to Victoria ACCESSIBLE VERSION (DOCX, 132.6 KB)
• Economic impacts of timing of emissions abatement (PDF, 993.4 KB)
• Economic impacts of timing of emissions abatement ACCESSIBLE VERSION (DOCX, 521.5 KB)
• Greenhouse gas emissions budgets for Victoria (PDF, 2.5 MB)
• Greenhouse gas emissions budgets for Victoria ACCESSIBLE VERSION (DOCX, 2.3 MB)
• Deriving a 1.5°C emissions budget for Victoria (PDF, 1.4 MB)
• Deriving a 1.5°C emissions budget for Victoria ACCESSIBLE VERSION (DOCX, 541.8 KB)
• Health costs of air pollution in Victoria (PDF, 385.5 KB)
• Health costs of air pollution in Victoria ACCESSIBLE VERSION (DOCX, 157.2 KB)

The Panel sought input from the Victorian community to inform the development of its advice to the Minister on interim targets.

The Panel published an issues paper as the basis for an online public consultation process. The consultation was open from 29 March to 1 May 2018.

Issues Paper: Interim Emissions Reduction Targets for Victoria (2021-2030) (PDF, 2.5 MB)

Issues Paper: Interim Emissions Reduction Targets for Victoria (2021-2030) ACCESSIBLE VERSION (DOCX, 1.4 MB)

The public was invited to read this paper, respond to the questions, and provide the Panel with any further evidence that could support the development of its advice.

Please visit Engage Victoria to view the results of that consultation.

The Interim Targets Independent Expert Panel Terms of Reference reflected the statutory requirements laid out in section 12 of the Climate Change Act 2017.

The Panel’s advice was required to include interim target options, indicative trajectories to net zero emissions by 2050, and potential emissions reduction opportunities to achieve the targets.

The Panel was required to consider economic, environmental and social circumstances and impacts, as well as the latest climate science, national and global climate action, low-emissions technology and progress in reducing Victoria’s emissions. The Panel’s Terms of Reference were amended in February 2019 to reflect a revised due date for its final advice.

Read the full Terms of Reference (DOCX, 33.2 KB)

The Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change appointed the Independent Expert Panel to provide advice on interim emissions reduction targets in October 2017. The members were:

• The Hon Greg Combet AM (Chair)
• Dr Penny Whetton
• Dr Lorraine Stephenson

The Panel members have significant experience in climate change science, low emissions technologies and climate policy. The Panel was supported by a Secretariat in the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.

The Hon Greg Combet AM is the Chair of IFM Investors, Chair of Industry Super Australia and a Director of ME Bank. Mr Combet also consults to industry and governments. Mr Combet held numerous Ministerial and Parliamentary Secretary roles in the Australian Government from 2007 to 2013, including Minister for Industry and Innovation, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science. Prior to this Mr Combet held the role of ACTU Secretary for eight years and worked as a trade union official and in the mining industry in previous years.

Dr Penny Whetton is an Honorary Research Fellow with the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne and with CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere. In Dr Whetton’s twenty-five year career with CSIRO she took a leading role in Australian science on projecting regional climate change and the use of projections in impact assessment. Through this and her community engagement she has made a unique contribution to national understanding of, and preparedness to respond to, climate change. Dr Whetton was a lead author of the regionalisation and climate scenarios chapters of the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the regional projections chapter of the Fourth Assessment Report of IPCC, and of the Australasia chapter of the Fifth Assessment Report.

Dr Lorraine Stephenson has over 30 years of experience in the energy sector and has worked on climate change policy and strategy since 1998. As a consultant, she works with clients to create opportunities to respond to climate change risks including options to drive investments in low emission technologies. Dr Stephenson’s other current roles include Non-Executive Director of Queensland Electricity Transmission Corporation Limited (Powerlink), Non-Executive Director of Good Environmental Choice Australia and member of the NSW Climate Change Council. She was formerly the Chief Clean Energy Advisor to the Queensland Government, a Partner at Ernst & Young, Non-Executive Director of Ergon Energy and Non-Executive Director of the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network. Dr Stephenson is a Fellow of the Academy of Technology and Engineering and has formal qualifications in governance, management and science.