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Under its Carbon Farming Futures Program (2011-2017), Australia has implemented a Filling the Research Gap, Action on the Ground, Extension and Outreach Program, and related offset incentives.[38] In line with its commitment to repeal the Carbon Tax (sections 3.4.1.3 and 3.4.3.2), the Commonwealth Government has reviewed funding arrangements related to the Carbon Tax, made the necessary adjustments to associated programmes and did not proceed with any new projects under the Carbon Farming Futures programme. Through its Direct Action Plan, the Government will introduce a mix of new policies, including the Emissions Reduction Fund to provide ongoing opportunities for farmers and land-managers to participate in emission reduction projects with a bill on the Emissions Reduction Fund being introduced in June 2014.

[38] The Filling the Research Gap program was to expend $A 47 million on 57 projects in research areas including "reducing methane emissions (from livestock and manure), reducing nitrous oxide emissions (from fertilisers and soils), and increasing soil carbon and improving modelling capability". The Conservation Tillage Refundable Tax Offset is a refundable tax offset that primary producers could claim if they brought a no-till seeder. The Offset was worth 15% of the cost of the no-till seeder. The refundable tax offset was designed to encourage the uptake of conservation tillage practices to reduce emissions, increase soil carbon and improve productivity (Australian Taxation Office online information. Viewed at: https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/Primary-producers/In-detail/Other-rebates---deductions/Conservation-tillage-refundable-tax-offset). Under the Action on the Ground funding programme, farmers and land managers undertake on farm trials of abatement technologies, practices and management strategies to measure and demonstrate how they can reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions of methane and nitrous oxide or increase the sequestration of carbon in soil while maintaining or improving farm productivity. By March 2014, 89 multi-year grants worth up to $A 44.29 million had received funding; these projects were trialling a diverse range of on farm practices and management strategies, on more than 530 properties across the country. By April 2013, 24 projects valued at $A 21.3 million were funded under the Extension and Outreach program supporting sector specific projects, including the livestock, dairy, horticulture, cotton and grains industries (Department of Agriculture online information. Viewed at: http://www.daff.gov.au/about/current-grants; and Productivity Commission, 2013d).

Since late 2011, a Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI), a voluntary carbon offset scheme, has allowed farmers and land-managers to earn carbon credits (Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs)) by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and storing carbon in vegetation and soils through changes to agricultural and land-management practices (also known as carbon farming). Credits can be sold into the voluntary carbon offset market or to offset liabilities under the 2012 carbon-pricing mechanism, repealed with effect from 1 July 2014 (section 3.4.1.3). This could create additional income for participants in the initiative. According to the authorities, the cost of removal of the carbon tax was estimated to be $A 13.7 billion on a fiscal balance basis ; savings from compensation measures associated with the repeal would result in a net budget impact of $A 6.9 billion. On 24 November 2014, the Carbon Farming Initiative Amendment Bill 2014 was passed by the Parliament; it is to expand, inter alia, its coverage and enable the Clean Energy Regulator to issued credits for emissions reduction projects from across the economy.

(…) Budgetary assistance to the electricity, gas, water, and waste services industries was the highest among all sectors. (…)

(…) Budgetary assistance for the electricity, gas, water and waste services industry was the highest among all sectors. (…)

Table 1.2 Basic economic indicators, 2009/10-2013/14
2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
(Annual percentage change)
Share of sector in total employment[c]
Electricity, gas, water, and waste services 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 ..

In 2011/12, budgetary assistance for the electricity, gas, water and waste services industries, mainly in the form of transitional assistance under the industry-specific Energy Security Fund (92.8% of total assistance to the sector), peaked ($A 1.1 billion) and was the highest among all sectors. This assistance was a one-off and in 2012/13 budgetary assistance for this sector dropped markedly to just $A 129.6 million. (...)

Table 4.3 Government assistance to the services sector, 2012/13
Electricity, gas, water, and waste services:
Net tariff assistance: -97.1
Budgetary assistance: 129.6

(…) domestic producers of ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel used in transport also continued to receive a government subsidy, although subsidies for ethanol and biodiesel are to be gradually repealed.

(…) domestic producers of ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel used in transport also continued to receive a government subsidy, which is to be gradually repealed (ethanol, biodiesel).

(…) Domestic producers of ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel used in transport also continued to receive a government subsidy, which for ethanol and biodiesel is to be gradually repealed (section 4.3.2.3).