Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says he’s requested a review of how Australia measures the gas industry’s methane emissions.

Speaking at a town hall meeting in suburban Melbourne last night, Mr Bowen said he had started the process of requiring Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory to properly manage and account for the methane released into the atmosphere by the gas industry.

Friends of the Earth Australia (FoEA) Offshore Fossil Gas Campaigner Jeff Waters said it’s fantastic news that the government is taking the issue so seriously.

“We applaud Mr Bowen for his excellent work in jumping on this issue so quickly and look forward to learning how new accounting methods might expose a worrying situation,” he said.

Last year, Australia joined the over 120 countries committed to collectively reduce global methane emissions across energy and resources, agriculture and waste sectors.

At the time, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said the Pledge promotes an aspirational global target for countries to work together to reduce global methane emissions.

“The Australian Government will continue to partner with industry to decarbonise the economy and pursue emissions reduction initiatives across energy and waste sectors including capturing waste methane to generate electricity,” Minister Bowen said.

The Australian Government announced investment of up to $3 billion from the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund to support investment in, for example, low emissions technologies and component manufacturing and agricultural methane reduction.

Speaking at the forum, which was hosted by Jagajaga MP Kate Thwaites, Mr Bowen also promised to raise the possibility of using a gas industry levy to pay for much needed recycling facilities for decommissioned oil and gas platforms and pipelines.

At the moment, a temporary levy of 48c per barrel is being paid by the entire industry to help clean up and remove a decommissioned (retired) gas platform in the Timor Sea that was abandoned after its owner went broke.

Although he made a point of saying such an initiative is outside his portfolio, Mr Bowen promised to take the issue up with the Resources Minister, Madeleine King.