Australia wants to improve the emissions monitoring of its coal seam gas (CSG) projects by using direct measurement rather than alternative methods for estimating vented fugitive emissions from well completions and workovers.

This, as a report by the National Greenhouse Accounts released on Monday showed Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions dropped by only a measly 0.2 per cent year-on-year.

In a discussion paper, the Australian federal government proposed improving the existing methods for directly measuring emissions from core CSG extraction and production activities. Specifically, it suggested as mandatory that CSG facilities utilise hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" technology to be able to directly measure their respective vented fugitive emissions.

Fracking techniques, as suggested by the discussion paper, generate more emissions compared to conventional CSG extraction techniques.

Most oil and gas production facilities, major emitters of greenhouse gases, are legally required to measure, report and verify their greenhouse gas emissions via the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System. But it was found that number of cases emissions were only estimated, not directly measured, because default factors used from previous studies were found not applicable to all production facilities.

The discussion paper, titled Coal Seam Gas: Enhanced Estimation and Reporting of Fugitive Greenhouse Gas Emissions under the NGER Measurement Determination, has been released for stakeholder comment. It can be found here: http://www.climatechange.gov.au/government/submissions/coal-seam-gas-discussion-paper.aspx.

On Monday, Australia's annual emissions for 2012, the year when the carbon tax was introduced, were only 551.9 million tonnes, versus the 553.2 million tonnes recorded in 2011.