Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 7:56:37 to 8:00:47
ABARES presents findings from a report on land sequestration required for net zero, estimating that 18 million hectares may be needed. The discussion identifies specific local government areas that could see significant impacts on agricultural production.
Topics: Carbon farming, Climate change, Land management
Speakers: Speaker 5, Speaker 14, Speaker 24
to the Kenn. >> Thank you, Chair. Look, um I'd like to go to actually I might pull up the report go to a report that Abe has put out last month on uh land sequestration. Uh sorry, December December. So, a couple of months ago. Um uh so this report finally and uh thank you for giving it a crack. perhaps should have been uh we should probably uh ask questions before we shoot, but uh better late than never. We have now a number of how much land uh could be locked up to reach net zero in Australia. Um correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you've estimated that at 18 million hectares. Can I just check that's is that 18 million hectares? I'm looking at table one >> in your report. that 18 million hectares is that from today like from sort of uh it's not factoring in land that's already been sequestered.
>> So that's the additional amount so based on to to sequester 119 million tons carbon landscape it would take 18
million hectares >> 18 million hectares. So that's three Tasmania on my sums. a lot of area. Um, uh, so in that table, actually I'll go straight to that table, you have a there's a local government area that has an impact of more than 10% I presume that's is that more than 10% of its
agricultural production. >> Yeah. So what we did to try and give that some context is to I guess condition that in in terms of how important agriculture was in those areas. So it's effectively saying that you're losing around yeah 10% of agricultural value that's created in that region or it's been yeah the opportunity cost is that but that's been offset by you know revenue that would be coming in from participation in those sequestration markets. >> So which local governor is that? So we didn't publish the local government areas mainly because the idea of the study was to take that kind of landscape view and where look at where the the various I guess incentives were strongest and so forth. And so we've got one that's at most at 10% and then we've got a few others that that are you know between that five and 10 and then the rest. And really the point of that is to show that it's significantly spread um
that >> look I I I know you didn't publish. I've read the report but uh uh I'd still like to know that's what point that's why we have estimates if uh uh I could just read about it would need to ask you questions so just ask again which local government area is it
>> sorry I think it's in South Australia we
just the which one are you asking about >> so table one uh there is a row in that table number of local government areas with a first order impactable than 10% and there is apparently one that fit
that category >> I might need to just check for Make sure I know which one it is. I've got the seven. Um, >> okay. Well, give us the seven, >> but I've got to figure out which one is the one above 10%.
>> Well, I think the seven is between five and 10, is it? So, they're not >> they'd be exclusive groups. So, give us a seven then. >> Yeah. So, >> that's going to be my next question.
>> So, we've got a couple over in South Australia. So, Streaky Bay, Elliston. So, that one streaky Bayaky Bay. So, Air Peninsula part of the world. Uh, Tenderfield and Tenderfield. Yep. Warren in New South Wales as well. >> Uh a few in WA. So Chapman Valley, Northampton, uh and Three Springs. And all of those are in that kind of Geraldtonish kind of area. >> Right. Uh and then one up in Queensland, Casawary Coast. Uh so that's up between Townsville, Canes.
>> Yep. Okay. That's the seven. Is it? I got eight there, I think. Did I miss?
Uh, one, two, three, four, five.
>> We got eight.
>> Yeah. So, there's the that's that's the one above 10% and then the seven.
>> So, one of those is above the 10%. You
just >> I'll have to figure I'm sure it's one of the South Australian ones, but I can