Australia's greenhouse gas emissions have continued to climb, reaching the highest levels on a quarterly basis since 2010, led by a surge in gas production.

For the 12 months to March 31 2018, emissions totalled 529.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent, up 1.3 per cent from a year earlier, the Environment Department said in the report released on Friday afternoon. Fugitive emissions, mostly from the gas sector, jumped 13.7 per cent.

Big jump in gas production has propelled Australia's greenhouse gas emissions higher. Credit:Glenn Campbell

The overall figure included a drop of 4.3 per cent in emissions from the electricity sector, which accounts for the biggest share of pollution. Another sector reporting a decline was land use change, with emissions down 5.2 per cent although the government qualified the figure as preliminary, subject to satellite imagery analysis.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, emissions were 134.7 million tonnes, or the highest quarterly figure since September 2010.