Aurizon National Transport Facility

Aurizon National Transport Facility is a rail freight facility operated by AURIZON OPERATIONS LIMITED in National. Like all covered facilities, diesel-powered freight operations generate emissions across the national network. Under Australia's Safeguard Mechanism, Aurizon National Transport Facility must keep its annual emissions below a stepping-down baseline — or purchase carbon credits to cover any overage.

In 2023–24, Aurizon National Transport Facility reported emissions of 626 kt against a baseline obligation of 604 kt — an overage of 23 kt. The facility covered the 23 kt overage by purchasing 22,649 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) — credits generated by carbon abatement projects elsewhere in Australia such as soil carbon farming, avoided land clearing, and landfill gas capture.

Purchasing credits is legal and intended by the Safeguard Mechanism's design — the policy deliberately allows facilities to choose between cutting on-site emissions or funding abatement elsewhere in the economy. Whether credit purchases represent genuine long-term decarbonisation depends on whether the facility's absolute emissions are trending down over time. The chart above shows the trajectory since reporting began. This question applies to all covered facilities under the Safeguard Mechanism, not Aurizon National Transport Facility specifically.

Across the rail freight sector, 4 of 5 covered facilities reported emissions above their baseline in 2023–24. The table below compares Aurizon National Transport Facility with other rail freight facilities covered by the Safeguard Mechanism.