Abbott’s war on clean energy GET UP

Dear NEVILLE,

Prime Minister Tony Abbott just upped the ante in his bizarre and devastating war on renewable energy. He has demanded the $10 billion investment fund for renewables — the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) — stop investing in any small-scale solar or wind power projects.¹

It’s a spiteful, ideological move designed to cut our renewable energy industry off at the knees to serve his friends in the fossil fuel industry. With strong public support for renewables across the whole country, it’s likely that many of Abbott’s own backbenchers are unhappy. But to speak out against the leader of their own party, they’ll need to know they have the support of their constituency behind them.

Can you write to your Coalition MP or Senator now and demand they stand up for clean power?

Many new wind and solar generators are now cheaper to build than new coal-fired power. Investment in clean renewable power is even outstripping coal, gas and oil combined.^2,3 The writing is on the wall, and investment in renewables is taking off across the world. Last Thursday, Denmark provided 140% of its electricity needs from wind, selling the excess power to neighbouring countries.⁴

But the emergence of such cheap, clean power is a threat to Abbott’s polluting friends in the dirty fossil fuel industry — and the move to cut funding to wind and small-scale solar is another cynical ploy to cripple Australian investment in the worldwide clean renewable power boom.

Not only will it stifle investment and jobs growth, it will stop small businesses, renters, public housing residents, local churches and low income earners from getting access to cheaper, cleaner power.

The plan is so unsound that Abbott’s own party is beginning to revolt. Environment Minister Greg Hunt appears to have not even known about the changes before they were announced, and talks of a split in Abbott’s Cabinet are surfacing.¹ As much as Abbott is determined to attack wind and solar power, he can only do it with the support of his own Government. If Coalition backbenchers from all over the country hear from an overwhelming number of Australians, we can cause them to stand up to Abbott and slow down his maniacal attack on our burgeoning renewable sector.

Will you write to your Coalition MP or Senator now and demand they stand up to Tony Abbott and defend our clean energy future? https://www.getup.org.au/clean-power

As Abbott looks determined to take his war on renewables all the way to the next election, it’s so important we undermine his agenda as early as possible, and there’s no better place than with his own party.

Thanks for standing up for clean renewable power,

Sam R, for the GetUp team

[1] ‘Tony Abbott has escalated his war on wind power’, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 July 2015
[2] ‘Wind power is now cheaper than coal in some countries’, New Scientist, 11 February 2013
[3] ‘Fossil Fuels Just Lost the Race Against Renewables’, Bloomberg Business, 15 April 2015
[4] ‘Wind power generates 140% of Denmark’s electricity demand’, The Guardian, 10 July 2015