Category: General news

Dear NEVILLE,

Let’s face it, the Government needs all the help it can get right now. And we want to lend a hand!

Over the past year, Australia’s investment in large-scale renewable energy has taken a dramatic nose-dive thanks to the Abbott Government’s anti-renewable policies. While investment worldwide in renewable energy is up by 16%, Australia’s has dropped by a staggering 88%, leaving industry uncertain and thousands of jobs at risk.¹

Now, as the Government searches for policy options, it’s being handed a golden opportunity to correct course on renewable energy.

For the first time in months, the Government is back at the negotiating table with Labor over the Renewable Energy Target (RET),² an effective clean energy policy that’s supported by a cool 89% of Australians and was supported by the Coalition before the last election.³ And the pressure is working, with some small but hopeful indications the Government may keep its pre-election promise to keep the RET in its current form.⁴ Keeping the RET is a no brainer — but up until now, the Government’s been on a war path to slash the target, serving the interests of dirty power companies (and big political donors) like Origin, AGL and EnergyAustralia.

So right now is the perfect time for Australians everywhere to remind our Coalition MPs that by keeping a strong RET, they will not only be doing what’s proven to be best for our country in the long term, but they will also be acting on what the vast majority of Australians are asking for.

Click here to tell your MP or senator that Australia has got to get it right with the RET, and keep the 41,000 GWh target that has worked so well.

The facts are indisputable: since 2001, the RET has been responsible for a massive $20 billion in investment into the Australian economy, over 24,000 new jobs, and lower power bills for consumers.⁵ Nearly 24,000 GetUp members made their voices heard by making a submission to the government’s review of the RET – and over 5,000 GetUp members have switched from Origin, AGL and EnergyAustralia to renewable energy backed Powershop as part of our campaign to make sure consumers voices are heard ahead of the vested interests of the “Dirty Three” power companies.

With the RET’s future in the balance, new investment in renewables has fallen to a 13-year-low. But the negotiations happening right now between Labor and the Coalition could decide the future of renewables in Australia. In fact, the timing couldn’t be better – we know that many Liberal representatives are actually very supportive of the RET, and with loyalties up in the air this could be the best chance yet to encourage backbenchers to speak up to Tony Abbott and Environment Minister Hunt, and let them know that keeping the target is a huge deal.

We won’t stand for Origin, AGL and EnergyAustralia putting the hard word on our politicians to wreck a policy that is creating jobs and investment and lowering our household bills. And neither should our politicians.

Click here to tell your MP to do the right thing for a sustainable future, and support the RET in its current form: https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/renewable-energy/get-right-with-the-ret-non-vic/get-right-with-the-ret

Thanks for speaking out to protect the RET,

Leah, James, Paul and Michael, for the GetUp team

PS – Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham, former Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment said in July 2013: “the real driver of investment in renewable energy has been and continues to be the Renewable Energy Target. We have always supported the RET and continue to offer bi-partisan support for this scheme…The Coalition supports the current system, including the 41,000 giga-watt hours target.” ⁶

We know that there are Liberal and National MPs and senators out there that think attacking the RET is crazy – this is a battle we can win, but we need your help. Click here to share this campaign on Facebook. Tell your friends and family that you’re writing to your Coalition representatives to demand that they protect the RET.

You can always forward this email on to your friends and family so they can take action too!

References

[1] ‘Aust renewable investment at 13-year low’, Herald Sun, 13 January 2015.
[2] ‘Govt, opposition reignite RET talks’, The Australian, 6 February 2015.
[3] ‘Almost 90% of Australians support renewable energy target, says poll’, Guardian Australia, 2 December 2014.
[4] ‘Abbott government shows signs of shifting ground on climate policy’, Guardian Australia, 10 February 2015.
[4] ‘Why we need the Renewable Energy Target’, Clean Energy Council, 2014.
[5] Senator Simon Birmingham, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment speaking at Clean Energy Council’s Clean Energy Week, July 2013.