Barley Australia, established in 2005 to provide an independent peak body for the barley industry, said the Opposition’s amendments would ensure Australian jobs in the malting sector would be protected and that the malting industry would remain competitive under a CPRS.

The organisation said that while it backed addressing climate change, its members needed support written into law during a transition period.

Barley Australia’s executive manager, Linda Price, said the bill, as it currently stood, could be damaging to the value-adding Australian malt industry.

“Malt manufacture is a value-adding process to barley production and almost 80pc of Australian malt production is exported overseas, especially to Asia. However, under the current Bill there is potential for causing long-term damage to an efficient, export-orientated Australian malting industry.

“Without legislative amendments, the malting industry would not get emission intensive trade exposed (EITE) assistance, despite the industry being heavily trade-exposed.

“Put bluntly, Australian malt production would become uncompetitive compared with malt produced overseas, ultimately costing Australian jobs, as overseas brewers and confectioners shifted their purchases to nations where there were no carbon costs.”

Barley Australia said the Opposition’s proposal to provide a single level of assistance for emissions intensive trade-exposed industries at 94.5 per cent until 2015 and 90 per cent thereafter, would enable malt manufacturers and Australia’s barley industry to adjust while tighter carbon controls were introduced.

Ms Price also supported an idea to benchmark the assistance against international competitors.

“The proposal to continue to provide assistance to Australian EITE industries at 90 per cent until 80 per cent of international competitors have also implemented carbon abatement measures recognises the malt industry is competing against the international market,” Ms Price said.