TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE: Renewable Energy Target

Date:  22 October 2014

CHRIS BOWEN, SHADOW TREASURER: The Labor Party believes in renewable energy. We believe to get renewable energy in Australia we need the Renewable Energy Target. We also believe the Renewable Energy Target should be bipartisan. Just as it has been now for many years. With both political parties going to an election, to many elections, with a policy of the Renewable Energy Target.  

Since the election, the Government has threatened to walk away from the Renewable Energy Target. That would be a disaster for Australia. Also, even speculation about this is terrible for sovereign risk, for investor certainty. We want Australian businesses investing in renewable energy because it’s good for the environment and great for our economy. It is important for manufacturing. It is such an important part of Australia's economic future.

For this reason, we agreed to enter into discussions with the Government to see if we could reach a bipartisan agreement, continuing bipartisan agreement to ensure the continued operation of Renewable Energy Target for Australia. It's important that this Government and the Party that hopes to form the next Government of Australia can try and see if they can reach agreement so the Renewable Energy Target can remain in place and can continue to encourage investment in renewable energy for the good of the economy and the environment. Australia can't afford the investor uncertainty of a Government considering walking away from the Renewable Energy Target.

The Labor Party has shown that we are more than happy to be responsible, to work constructively with the Government in the national interests when it comes to Renewable Energy Target. Now, the Government today released their starting negotiating position. Let me make it clear we do want to engage with the Government constructively to see what can be done. I also make it clear that a 40 per cent cut in the Renewable Energy Target, which is what would be a 20 per cent real Renewable Energy Target in the language of the Government is completely unacceptable to the Labor Party and we will not agree to it.

But we have said to the Government that we will sit down and work with them to see if agreement can be reached. That will be done as constructively as possible. We will not be agreeing to a 40 per cent cut but we will be working to ensure that if at all possible, both of Australia's major political parties can return to a position of bipartisanship in what is a very important area for Australia's economic and environmental future.

So there will be further discussions between the Government and the Opposition. We don't intend to hold the discussions through the media. We will be engaging in good faith with the Government. That is what the Australian people would hope and expect. The Australian people would also hope and expect that the Labor Party will work to defend and ensure a good and proper Renewable Energy Target and that is not represented by 40 per cent cut which was the starting position of the Government today as outlined by the Minister's publically earlier today.

Happy to take some questions.

JOURNALIST: What is your starting position?

BOWEN: Our starting position is that we want a Renewable Energy Target that is the right mix for Australia and as the Government who started to walk away from the current policy settings, we indicated to them that we need to understand the arguments fully that they are putting. We have also indicated publically that we do accept and understand some of Australia's omissions intensive and trade exposed industries are needing of some special attention. Aluminium has come in for some public discussion. But we are not going to hold this discussion Lenore, with all due respect to all of you, through the media. We will engage with the Government in good faith and if and when an agreement can be reached, we will outline it fully to you. If it can't be reached, if it can't be reached, we will outline to you why it can't be.

JOURNALIST: Does that mean that your starting position is 41,000 -

BOWEN: That’s the starting position of the policy, that’s correct.

JOURNALIST: But how you can bridge the divide. The government says the real 20 per cent is its position. You are saying that's a no go area. How are you going to bridge that divide?

BOWEN: With good will Sabra on both sides. With good will on both sides. If both sides are really genuinely interested in the future of renewable energy in Australia, we have to try. We have to try. Now I can't tell you today whether we will be successful or not. The Australian people want both sides to be trying here, we’re up for it.

JOURNALIST: What’s your starting position on the Government’s, or the government’s position about exempting the - 

BOWEN: That sounds remarkably similar to Lenore’s question and the standing order against asking the same question twice at these press conferences. But look, we will engage in good faith with, I’ve already indicated to you that we accept there are issues that need to be worked through. More than accept, we’ve been saying that there are issues that need to be worked through for Australia’s emission intensive energy exposed industries and aluminium is of course the one which has received the most attention and that’s for a good reason. But we’ll work those issues through, our position’s been consistent here. We are outlining today publicly, we’ve already outlined previously. Mr Butler has outlined, Shadow Minister Butler has outlined on our behalf as to what we believe should be the position.

JOURNALIST: Do you accept there’s an urgency to get this dealt with this year or are you going to let it drag on to next year?

BOWEN: We would certainly like to see this resolved sooner rather than later. We’re not putting an arbitrary timeline on the discussions, we’re not setting a deadline but we are working as quickly as is possible with the Government to see if this can be done.

JOURNALIST: By indicating that you’re not going to hold talks through the media so beyond this news conference today it’s virtually a media blackout?

BOWEN: Well they’re your words Sabra but we won’t be providing running commentary. We won’t be talking about what the Government’s putting to us. I imagine they won’t be talking about what we said in meetings as in good faith there needs to be a proper discussion around the table and then we’ll obviously give you a full update if and when we can talk to you about the result, the positive result of the discussions. If it’s a negative result then of course we would obviously brief you on why that’s the case.

JOURNALIST: Can I ask Minister Butler, Shadow Minister Butler - 

BOWEN: Pining for the good old days Phil. That’s quite alright.

JOURNALIST: Mark, the Government, superficially at least, has folded the tent on the small scale scheme, [inaudible] your views on that. Are confident that’s going to be safe, and on the large scale scheme will you cop a reduction target somewhere in the 30,000s?

MARK BUTLER, SHADOW MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: Well, nice try but third time is not any luckier than the first two times for us to outline our position. We thought it was very important to outline our position – particularly in relation to the large scale target, which was the centrepiece of Ian Macfarlane’s comments today at the Press Club, the idea of a “real 20 per cent” which is in actual fact a 40 per cent cut to the legislated target. We thought it was important that we repeat the position we’ve had now for some time about that recommendation from the Warburton Review but beyond that we’re going to have discussions, in good faith, behind closed doors, with the Government about all of the other aspects of this really important area of policy.

JOURNALIST: Do you see that as a good faith start to negotiations, given everyone – the industry and yourselves – are firmly on the record that you wouldn’t take a true 20, yet they’ve put this on the table. Do you see that as an act of good faith, or bad faith, or just a sneaky ploy?

BUTLER: Well, look we’re a glass half full party, the Labor Party and we accept that Ian Macfarlane, Greg Hunt come to the table in good faith with a hope to restore bipartisanship and therefore investor certainty to the Renewable Energy Target because we all know that if there is not agreement between the two major parties of government, there will be no more investment in large scale renewable energy and all of the billions of dollars in investment, all of the thousands of jobs that are before us, potentially in the pipeline in the next few years, will just disappear. So, there’s good faith on both sides. Whether we can actually come to an agreement on all of the elements of the policy remains to be seen, but we accept there is good faith on the part of Ian Macfarlane and Greg Hunt.

JOURNALIST: The Minister says the Government will negotiate with the cross bench if it has to, how do you feel about this?

BUTLER: Well that is simply not going to work. We all understand, we’ve all heard very clearly from the industry, that global companies making investment decisions over many years will simply not make those billions and billions of dollars of investment based on the ability of the Government, maybe, to get a 51 per cent vote in the Senate, that will only last, at best, a couple of years. We’ve heard a very clear message, as I expect Ian Macfarlane has heard it as well, the only way you’re going to continue to see investment flow into Australia in solar power, wind power and other areas of renewable energy is if there is a bipartisan agreed Renewable Energy Target.

JOURNALIST: Mr Macfarlane’s previously been able to work quite well with Government. Do you see that as a good sign that he’s previous experience with the CPRS and so on, a good sign that this could work?

BOWEN: Oh well, CPRS isn’t a great example. Because while the discussions might have gone well, the outcome wasn’t so good, but we’re engaging with the relevant ministers. Because we see this as an economic policy, obviously I as Shadow Treasurer engaged in these discussions. We see this as a very important economic policy. We recognise and respect the roles of Ministers Macfarlane and Hunt as the relevant line ministers and of course we see this from the Government’s point of view is an important economic policy as well. So, we’re dealing with the ministers who’ve been appointed by the Government and as I’ve said before with good faith on both sides, the national interest should be put first.

JOURNALIST: Do you think Ian Macfarlane has the full endorsement of Cabinet to get this deal or that Cabinet could be a block?

BOWEN: Well, you’ll need to ask Minister Macfarlane how intends – and Mr Hunt – how they intend to deal with the Government but we are dealing with the relevant ministers.

JOURNALIST: As Mark Butler just said, if you don’t reach an agreement, there won’t be any more investment, so don’t you get to a point where you really want more investment in renewable energy where if the Government’s got something on the table that will allow some new investment, is going to be better than nothing?

BOWEN: No. No.

JOURNALIST: Why?

BOWEN: We want to see a proper renewable energy target. If you’re asking us Lenore if we’re going to agree to whatever the Government puts forward, the answer to that is no. We’ve indicated to you that we won’t be accepting a 40 per cent cut to the Renewable Energy Target. We are endeavouring to reach an outcome in the national interest. If we think the outcome on the table is not in the national interest then we won’t be accepting it.

JOURNALIST: You’ve got a position on this as well, because originally you said you weren’t going to talk to the Government until they discounted the major findings of the Warburton Review. Now, a real 20 per cent is straight from the Warburton Review.

BOWEN: And we’re rejecting that recommendation.

JOURNALIST: You’re still talking to them

BOWEN: Now, division bells are ringing, but given we’re just near the House we can take one more question. No? Well, thanks everyone.