A dog’s breakfast
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5:37 PM (2 minutes ago)
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After 18 months of devastating uncertainty, the deal to slash the Renewable Energy Target from 41,000 GWh to 33,000 GWh has been done.* It still needs to be passed by Federal Parliament, but at this point it looks set to proceed.
Our government has made a dog’s breakfast of energy policy in Australia, jeopardising tens of thousands of jobs, billions in investment and setting large-scale solar and renewables back by a generation. Not to mention locking in higher power prices for all Australians, against the recommendations of the government’s own review.**
Become a Solar Champion today and help us forge a new era for solar and renewables in Australia.
How on earth did our sunny country, with the highest rooftop solar penetration on earth and an overwhelming majority of citizens supporting more renewable energy not less, end up in this mess?
The truth is, this whole debacle is down to a handful of big power companies and their mates in Government. No one else wanted to see the Target cut. Labor and sections of the industry may have agreed to it, but ultimately their hands were forced by the Abbott Government because industry certainty needs bipartisan backing. For goodness sake, even some Coalition backbenchers wanted to see a strong Target maintained.
The problem is, with all this focus on getting a deal that cuts renewables, no one has offered a clear way forward.
Well, we’re one step ahead. We’ve already started building an unstoppable force for a sun-powered future, calling for at least 50% of our energy from renewables sources by 2030. Just this month hundreds of solar homeowners and supporters have gathered at events in Melbourne and across Queensland and pledged to Stand Up For Solar.
Here’s what you can do to help build the momentum:
- If you haven’t already, sign the pledge to Stand Up For Solar. We want to see every solar owner and supporter in Australia get on board.
- Come along to a Stand Up For Solar Launch event near you. There’s one coming up in Parramatta tomorrow evening (Tuesday), Adelaide on Wednesday, and an online Webinar on June 2.
- Sign up as a Solar Champion and start building support in your community to get your local MP on board.
We’ve already got support from Senator Glenn Lazarus, the solar industry, key solar experts like Renew Economy’s Giles Parkinson and SolarBusinessServices’ Nigel Morris, cleantech entrepreneur Danny Kennedy and many, many more. It’s clear we’re on to a good thing – an ambitious vision for solar and renewables – but politicians only listen when people in their local areas take action. That’s why we need you to get on board and help us lead the way.
There are some in Government who wanted to put the final nail in the coffin of solar and renewables by scrapping the Target entirely. While they’ve done considerable damage, their mission has ultimately failed. By joining together, we’ve already managed to safeguard rooftop-solar, scrap the 2 year review period and keep the Target alive – something we can all be proud of.
While today’s cut to the Target is a huge step backward, we must act now to galvanise our communities behind our call for a sun-powered Australia. Solar and renewables are the future, and the vested interests of the few can’t hold back the will of the people.
Yours in scorching determination,
Claire O’Rourke, National Director
PS: Do you have 2 minutes right now? Put it to good use and take the pledge to Stand Up For Solar and share it with your friends, family members and colleagues.
Solar Citizens
http://www.solarcitizens.org.au/