DON'T DO IT, TONY. DON'T BREAK ANOTHER PROMISE

Date:  29 August 2014

The Warburton Review into the Renewable Energy Target is just a shield for Tony Abbott to break the Coalition’s long-held commitment to renewable energy.

 “The Coalition committed to the Renewable Energy Target for the last four elections, from when John Howard was leader in 2004 and 2007 to Tony Abbott’s leadership in 2010 and 2013,” Shadow Minister for Climate Change Mark Butler said.

 “That bipartisan support saw billions of dollars invested in Australia’s clean energy industry and now Tony Abbott has walked away from the table and left the industry stranded.”

 The Coalition’s previous commitment to the renewable energy industry has been crystal clear.

Look, we originated a renewable energy target. That was one of the policies of the Howard Government and yes we remain committed to a renewable energy target … we have no plans to change the renewable energy target.

Tony Abbott, 29 September 2011

But the Opposition Leader told the party room that people saw generating renewable energy as an important issue and the Coalition had to commit to it.

The Australian, 20 June 2012

“We will be keeping the renewable energy target. We’ve made that commitment. We have no plans or proposals to change it... We have no plans or intention for change and we’ve offered bipartisan support to that.”

Greg Hunt, speech, 27 February, 2013

It has been interesting to note the claims being made about what the Coalition will or won’t do. All of it is simply conjecture. The Coalition supports the current system, including the 41,000 giga-watt hours target.

Simon Birmingham, Speech to the Clean Energy Week Conference, 24 July 2013

“The industry has grown and prospered as a result of this support and Labor’s renewable energy policies. Now the Government has torn up most of Labor’s policies, its backflip in support will destroy the industry,” Mr Butler said.

The Report said the RET scheme was attracting “too much investment” and creating “too many jobs”.

“In what warped world is Tony Abbott living, where too many jobs is something to be critical of?” Mr Butler said.

“Why is Tony Abbott the only one that doesn’t get this: renewable energy is about the future. It’s about the long term prosperity of this country.

“A growing renewable energy sector will deliver jobs for those in manufacturing, mining and other industries that are suffering a downturn, it will create export market opportunities, and it will drive down Australia’s carbon pollution in a time when we need to think about a clean energy future.

“It is astounding that the Prime Minister of Australia does not understand this.

“Tony Abbott’s ideological stubbornness has gone too far. This attack on an industry of the future is very stupid.”