Data is the key to getting the emission trading system right in Australia. The discussions in Beyond Carbon 2008 was about managing the compliance issues around carbon. Data will play a major role in this.

According to ZDNet, the federal government has put out a tender to create a registry system.

The tenderer will have to supply and implement a registry — an
electronic database to store and manage these units — according to the
tender documents, as well as provide operational support and system
hosting.

This registry needs to connect to the international transaction log (ITL), which makes it compatible with other ETS’s around the world. It should also connect to the OSCAR (Online System for Comprehensive Activity Reporting) system which collects emissions data from large emitters and Federal and State government offices around the country. In fact, I have been trained and used the OSCAR system and its predecessar EDGAR to update emissions data for our organisation.

The first stage will be ready by the end of the year.