Press release – 27 August, 2014Following release of the Warburton review of the Renewable Energy Target, Greenpeace today urged the Abbott government to reject its recommendations and retain the target which has grown Australia’s renewables sector, built Australian jobs and reduced carbon pollution.Read the report
here
"If the Prime Minister accepts either recommendation he will destroy a policy that has generated handsome business opportunities and jobs for Australians, including $20 billion of investment in renewable energy technologies,” said Ben Pearson, Head of Program for Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
"The two options recommended by the Warburton panel would be a disaster for the renewables industry.
"The review report itself admits that the target has ‘encouraged significant new renewable electricity generation’ and created jobs for Australians.
"Implementing these recommendations would see Tony Abbott’s vendetta against environmental and climate laws extended to include a willingness to create sovereign risk to stymie clean energy. This is an extraordinary position for a conservative Prime Minister to take."
Greenpeace Australia Pacific has produced a
report
analysing why and how Australia’s biggest three energy retailers – Origin, EnergyAustralia and AGL – have been working to undermine the target (June 2014).
This month Greenpeace and the Total Environment Centre also launched a
Green Electricity Guide
, ranking electricity retailers against seven criteria and creating a tool consumers can use to switch to more environmentally friendly power companies.
“Winding back the target will deliver for the fossil fuel industry and the big three energy retailers which have been actively working behind the scenes to undermine the future of clean energy.
“The Dirty Three – Origin Energy, EnergyAustralia and AGL – have walked the wrong path in growing their investment in dirty fossil fuel generation assets at the expense of renewable energy.
“Designing policy to better the fortunes of The Dirty Three and save their dirty assets from further competition is a backward step.
“Prime Minister Abbott has leant on the myth that the Renewable Energy Target is responsible for hikes in power bills. Yet recent modelling undertaken by Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that an unchanged Renewable Energy Target will cut $50 off the average household electricity bill by 2020.
“If the Prime Minister strives to implement Dick Warburton’s key recommendations he will mark himself as a destroyer of what has been one of the most successful bipartisan policies in Australian history.
“Australians have a significant appetite for solar and wind power. We need to feed this appetite with support for renewables, not starve a thriving renewable energy sector,” Mr Pearson said.
For more information or interviews contact: Alison Orme 0432 332 104