JOURNALIST: Minister, how can you justify including the methane coal gas in the RET?

WONG: Well look, this is a measure which is recognising that methane is a gas that contributes to climate change, recognising that there are firms who were early movers under the Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme in New South Wales. We have moved to include it, recognising it's not a renewable energy source but there are environmental benefits to including it for a specified period and for existing projects to assist, to continue to protect employment in those areas. We have said this will be above the 20 per cent target so we are not going to be eating into the amount of renewable energy investment in Australia.

JOURNALIST: Couldn't you have created a separate mechanism to deal with it though? Why did it have to be included in the RET legislation?

WONG: Well, people always want another set of regulations and another set of mechanisms. We think this is the simplest, cleanest way to deal with an issue, there is environmental benefit and we preserved the integrity of our renewable energy investment by ensuring that this is above the 20 per cent target so I think a good result all round.

JOURNALIST: Minister, do you believe serious negotiations have begun with the Coalition on getting through the ETS legislation?

WONG: Can I say something about these negotiations. We have had a number of amendments put on the table by the Coalition in relation to the Renewable Energy Target. And we have been prepared as a Government to consult with them and to negotiate with them and those negotiations are continuing. But I think this demonstrates that if the Opposition is actually prepared to get a position and put a position to the Government, we're prepared to talk to them and consider their amendments. That is what we are doing in the Renewable Energy Bill. In relation to the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme: not a single amendment because Mr Turnbull didn't have a position.

JOURNALIST: Last night the Prime Minister warned business of the possibility of punitive tariffs being imposed on the economy. The Opposition Leader Mr Turnbull asked this morning exactly what tariffs are going to be imposed on exactly what Australian exports.

WONG: The Prime Minister was absolutely correct. He's absolutely factually correct. I might, may I say, Mr Turnbull who yet again is putting forward something which doesn't bear up to scrutiny. Mr Turnbull wants us to copy in many ways the American legislation. And you've heard him I'm sure in his press conferences urging the Government to not do anything on climate change until we see the final version of the American legislation. I want to make this point: that very American legislation that Mr Turnbull wants to photocopy has within it provisions which enable the imposition of border adjustments. This is a live debate in the negotiations; this is a live debate in international discussions.

Clearly Australia has a different view. We don't believe that those sorts of protectionist measures are the way you deal with climate change and that's demonstrated by the legislation we have put before the Parliament. But it is clearly an issue that is being discussed in the United States. It is clearly an issue that is being discussed in Europe and there have been public comments I think, certainly from France as well as a number of officials from other countries in different contexts, about this issue. So the Prime Minister is quite right to point to this issue. Clearly Australia has a view about the way to proceed but I don't think Mr Turnbull can have it both ways. I don't think he can tell us we should copy America but then pretend that this provision doesn't exist in the legislation he wants us to copy.

JOURNALIST: The Greens and Oakeshott are pushing for a national feed-in tariff. What's your response to that?

WONG: Look, I think that we have discussed the issue of feed in-tariffs through the COAG process. It seems to the Government that we went to the election with a Renewable Energy Target, that's what we told the Australian people we would have. It's a very substantial increase in renewable energy; some four-fold by 2020. We are not convinced that adding another layer of regulation and another layer of subsidy is sensible in the context of such a significant investment into renewable energy.

JOURNALIST: But the money that's going to coal; there is all kinds of support for coal. Money is going back into the coal industry during this process. Why not a little bit of money to help the development of renewable energy technologies?

WONG: Look, we have invested unprecedented amounts through the policy mechanisms we are discussing into renewable energy. So let's understand: about just under $1.5 billion for the Clean Energy Initiative, for the Solar Flagships Program, in this year's budget. Half a billion dollars in the Renewable Energy Fund; an election commitment. A four-fold increase in renewable energy by the year 2020. These are very substantial investments in renewable energy. Far more than any previous government. I'd remind you of course that under the Liberal Party renewables went backwards. And far more than even Mr Turnbull put to the last election.

ENDS