Antinuclear

Abbott govt’s unreasonable delaying on decision about Renewable Energy target

a year and half has passed since the government set about reviewing a policy that they had made no mention of planning to cut during their election campaign. A review of the scheme had only just been concluded 12 months prior, saying no need to change it and no need to review it again.

So a few months later, and after spending several hundred thousand dollars, they find out what the earlier review had concluded. This scheme does not significantly increase household electricity bills, in fact if cut it is most likely to increase electricity bills.

But they decide they want to cut the scheme nonetheless

It has become a complete farce. Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane’s story for why he couldn’t accept lower cuts to the target have changed every few weeks.

Can Dan Tehan get Abbott to stop playing games over renewable energy?, Climate Spectator, TRISTAN EDIS  1 MAY,  Backbench Liberal MP Dan Tehan’s seat of Wannon in southwest Victoria is probably suffering the most from the government’s decision to throw the future state of the Renewable Energy Target into uncertain turmoil.

His seat has one of the best land-based wind resources available in the world with a major power transmission line running right through the middle of it. There’s already several hundred megawatts of wind power capacity built, but also several thousand megawatts proposed in the area.

Meanwhile in the struggling town of Portland with high unemployment, one of Australia’s leading wind tower manufacturers and also wind servicing businesses, Keppel Prince, lays largely idle.

Construction of the wind farms proposed in the area would provide a very large employment boost to a region that badly needs it, while also providing a significant new income stream for local farmers that host the turbines.

His appearance on the ABC’s 7.30 Report last night clearly reflected an incredible degree of frustration with his own government’s lack of interest in giving the wind industry the regulatory stability required for it to come out of its coma……..

It seems extraordinary when you think about it, a year and half has passed since the government set about reviewing a policy that they had made no mention of planning to cut during their election campaign. A review of the scheme had only just been concluded 12 months prior, saying no need to change it and no need to review it again.

the government said we must review this scheme because we are concerned about household electricity bills. So a few months later, and after spending several hundred thousand dollars, they find out what the earlier review had concluded. This scheme does not significantly increase household electricity bills, in fact if cut it is most likely to increase electricity bills.

But they decide they want to cut the scheme nonetheless. A majority of the Senate says ‘no’, arguing this is a breach of an election promise, and for almost a year the wind industry and large-scale solar are left in limbo as the Coalition continues to agitate for cuts to the scheme.

It has become a complete farce. Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane’s story for why he couldn’t accept lower cuts to the target have changed every few weeks. Yet as Climate Spectator has explained in laborious detail over the last year and a half, none of them make much sense. This isn’t about public policy its about political pride.

Stakeholders traditionally from opposing sides of the debate are both baffled by Macfarlane’s stubborn approach to the issue……..http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2015/5/1/policy-politics/can-dan-tehan-get-abbott-stop-playing-games-over-renewable-energy

May 2, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, energy, politics