Media Release.
Mark Butler M.P.
Shadow Minister for
Climate Change and Energy
Labor and the renewable energy industry
have called on the Turnbull Government to end its attack on renewables
and develop policies that support jobs and new investment.
Today the Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten and
the Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy Mark Butler, met with
representatives of the renewable energy industry to discuss the
industry’s future and the importance of renewable energy to Australia’s
modern economy and future energy security.
Representatives from some of the world’s most
innovative energy and technology companies attended the talks, including
Tesla Energy, Siemens, AGL, Acciona, and GE.
Discussion included the job and
investment-destroying policy uncertainty created by the Abbott-Turnbull
Government and the need for national leadership to secure the immense
economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy.
Labor will not stop fighting for a clean, secure
and affordable energy system in Australia; one that is increasingly
powered by renewable energy.
That is why Labor proposed the goal of 50 per cent
renewable energy by 2030 at the election; a goal that has been estimated
to create 28,000 new jobs.
In contrast, since the Liberals came to power we
have seen a sustained attack on renewable energy investment, leading to
almost 3,000 jobs being lost in the sector while almost 3 million jobs
have been created in the sector worldwide.
Only yesterday the International Energy Agency
clearly stated the global march toward renewable energy is picking up
steam – with 15 percent growth last year alone.
Other countries realise the economic, security and
environmental benefits of renewable energy while Australia id going
backwards even though we have the best solar, wind and wave resources in
the world - and have developed world-leading renewable energy
technologies.
Industry representatives confirmed that investment
in renewable energy drives job creation across a range of fields, rapid
technological innovation has resulted in a significant reduction in the
cost of renewable energy generation and the economic and environmental
benefits of renewable energy will increase over time with further
technological advances in battery storage and improved efficiency of
generation.
Australia’s future energy security depends on
greater investment in renewable energy. While coal will continue to play
a role in our economy, the status quo of an electricity system that is
heavily reliant on coal-fired power stations is not sustainable due to
the aging of existing coal generators and the imperative to reduce
emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.
What we lack is national leadership, with the
Government refusing to commit to any policy to support new renewable
investment beyond 2020.
Australia deserves an ambitious renewable energy
target and a national government that will do its job and lead; not one
that creates a policy vacuum and then chastises states for filling the
vacuum it created.
The world is racing towards a prosperous and clean
renewable energy future and because of the Turnbull Government’s lack of
action, Australia is going backwards with its head in the sand.
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