Antinuclear

Western Australia: Liberals rebel against govt reneging on solar energy deal

Liberal rebellion on solar heats up, The West, Gareth Parker and Daniel Mercer, The West Australian August 12, 2013, 2 Colin Barnett is facing a backbench revolt over the State Government’s decision to halve its rooftop solar panel subsidy, with a pair of Liberal MPs accusing the Government of lacking integrity.

The growing rebellion came as a letter from Synergy sent in 2011 emerged as a key piece of evidence in any potential legal fight over
the changes. The letter – sent soon after the Government cut the tariff in a previous revision to the scheme – says that customers entitled to the
40 cent payment would get it “for the full term of your 10-year contract”.

Government MPs have been flooded with complaints from irate voters about the decision to cut to the so-called solar feed-in tariff from
40 cents to 20 cents, with the issue spilling over to the Federal election campaign as a vote turn-er against Liberal candidates.

Maverick Hillarys MLA Rob Johnson threatened to cross the floor for the first time in his 20-year career to vote against the measure,
while Southern River MLA Peter Abetz said the Government had acted unethically.

Mr Johnson said the Government was acting with a “lack of integrity” by reneging on a deal with 75,000 solar panel owners in a bid to save
$51.2 million over the next four years.

“I think it’s a legal issue, but it’s also a moral issue,” he said.
“For the sake of just $10 million a year . . . to renege on this and
basically dud so many West Australians is a disgrace.”

Mr Johnson said he would tell the Liberal party room tomorrow that he
could not support the Government on the issue.

“To do this to the public who have invested their hard-earned money I
find intolerable,” he said.

Mr Johnson said he had been inundated with emails and phone calls,
including from “good Liberal members” who had threatened to resign
from the party or even vote against the coalition at the September 7
Federal election.

“I can’t believe Barnett and (Treasurer Troy) Buswell would be so
stupid as to risk all this for the sake of $10 million a year when you
see how much they have squandered in other areas,” he said. “You
cannot break agreements with people.

“It diminishes the integrity of the Government and I am ashamed that
we have done this to people – reneging and dudding people after they
have put their hard-earned savings at risk.”

Mr Abetz vowed to press the Premier on the issue this week and said,
regardless of the legal ramifications, the decision was unethical and
unnecessary.

He argued that the State’s finances were strong enough for the
Government to meet its commitment.,,,,,,
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/18456332/liberal-rebellion-on-solar-heats-up/

August 11, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, solar, Western Australia