It takes two to tango Claire, Solar Citizens

It’s usually a mundane affair, as predictable as death and taxes – but this time the landscape has shifted. Today Parliament resumes, and for the first time in a long time, we have Federal leadership on solar and renewable energy. The Labor Opposition has committed to Stand Up For Solar, announcing an achievable policy of at least 50% renewable energy by 2030*, and throwing down the gauntlet to the Abbott government – match us, or face up to the judgement of the Australian people.

Will you welcome your Coalition representatives back to Parliament with a personalised message, urging them Stand Up For Solar, and endorse 50% renewable energy by 2030? Click here to use our quick and easy tool.

It’s a little ray of sunshine, but if the to-ing and fro-ing on the Renewable Energy Target taught us anything, it’s that the solar and renewables industry needs certainty – and that means bipartisanship. But right now, the Abbott Government is still in full battle dress. After nearly destroying our Renewable Energy Target and trying to axe the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, a successful program that actually makes taxpayers money by investing in household and commercial rooftop solar, our Prime Minister is back on the warpath.

Only last Friday we saw the front page of The Australian plastered with misleading slogans, claiming that increasing renewable energy will cost ordinary consumers – despite the fact that the Government’s very own Warburton Review of the Renewable Energy Target said that a strong renewables target has the potential to actually put downwards pressure on electricity prices**.

We need your help to turn this around. We know there are plenty of Coalition MPs willing to see sense on this issue – but at the moment they’re hamstrung by a stubbornly ideological leadership. We need our representatives to come out of the woodwork and challenge Prime Minister Abbott on his outdated views, before it’s too late. Will you welcome your Coalition representatives back to Parliament by sending a personalised message, telling them why you’re expecting them to stand up for solar?

When it comes to skyrocketing power prices, we know who the real culprits are. For the past few years power networks have been conducting unnecessary upgrades to the poles and wires, despite a marked drop in demand for electricity. It’s called gold-plating, and it’s costing you and I an absolute motza***.

If the Federal government is truly concerned about helping Australians with the cost of living, they’ll get on board with Stand Up For Solar. As you and I know, installing solar on your rooftop is the only way to take control of your energy bills, all the while producing clean, cheap energy from the sun.

And the majority of Australians want to see action on solar and renewables. Recent polls show that 65% of Australians support the target of at least 50% renewable energy by 2030, while only 16% disapprove. Even Liberal/National voters were more likely to approve (45%) than disapprove (35%) of the policy****.

For the majority of Australians, solar and renewables is above politics. It’s not about petty point scoring – it’s about our country’s future. The rest of the globe is embracing solar and renewables on a huge scale. The way we use electricity is changing, and we need our leaders to make it easier for households, businesses and communities to take control of our energy production and our power bills.

It’s high time the Abbott Government stopped making it harder for us to move to a sun-powered Future – if our representatives in the Coalition don’t change their tune on solar and renewables soon, they’ll be putting the future of our sun-blessed country at risk. Can you welcome our Coalition MPs and Senators back to Parliament with a personal message, telling them why you’re expecting them to Stand Up For Solar? Click here to use our handy online tool.

We’re on our way to fixing this. I know that together, we’ll get the job done.

For a sun-powered Australia,

Claire O’Rourke,
National Director, Solar Citizens

PS: We’ve come such a long way since the launch of the Stand Up For Solar Campaign in March of this year. Together, we’ve achieved what we initially set out to do, and gained a commitment from the Federal Labor Opposition in support of at least 50% renewables by 2030. The next step is to get the Abbott Government on board. Will you write to your Coalition MP and Senators using our easy tool?

* Renewable energy: Labor puts forward 50 per cent target by 2030; pledges to introduce emissions trading scheme, ABC News, 21 July 2015.
** Consumers push renewable energy as Abbott hedges on RET, RenewEconomy, 29 September 2014.
*** Network gold-plating confirmed, as Senate report slammed as ‘gutless’, RenewEconomy, 21 April 2015. 
**** Nearly two-thirds support Labor’s 50% renewables target: poll, Business Spectator, 6 August 2015.

Solar Citizens
http://www.solarcitizens.org.au/

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Solar Citizens is an independent community-based organisation bringing together millions of solar owners and supporters to protect and grow solar in Australia. You can keep up with Solar Citizens on Twitter or like us on Facebook.