Australia takes major steps toward making big polluters reduce emissions

The Australian government took a major step toward implementing a key climate policy that would force chief greenhouse gas polluters to reduce emissions, with the minor Greens party pledging their support on Monday.

The center-left Labour Party administration said the so-called Safeguard Mechanism reforms are essential to Australia reaching its target of reducing its emissions by 43 per cent below 2005 levels by the end of the decade.

The reforms would create a ceiling on the nation's emissions and force Australia's 215 biggest polluting facilities to reduce their emissions over time.

The Climate Council, a leading climate communicator, described the reforms as the first Australian legislation in a decade that would regulate greenhouse gas pollution.

With the support of the Greens' 11 senators, the government only needs the backing of two unaligned or minor party senators to get the reforms through the upper chamber.

Greens leader Adam Bandt said a hard cap on emissions would mean