Greens move to fix Renewable Energy Target

Canberra, Tuesday 27 October 2009

Hundreds of jobs, a flourishing climate friendly industry and the Rudd Government’s climate credibility are all on the line if the Government does not urgently fix the Renewable Energy Target, the Australian Greens said today.

The Greens’ warning that the inclusion of solar hot water, heat pumps and multiplied rooftop solar credits in the renewable energy target risked undermining the scheme is now being vindicated.

Labor and Liberals opposed the Greens’ move to amend the legislation to fix this problem before it arose. They now have a second chance, with a Greens motion to bring the legislation back and make these credits additional to the target to prevent the scheme’s collapse.

“I am moving to have the Renewable Energy Target legislation brought back before the Parliament and urgently fixed before jobs are lost and industries go offshore,” Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

“Minister Wong and Greg Hunt should be ashamed that they refused to see this coming and opposed the Greens’ sensible amendment which would have fixed the problem before it arose.

“If they oppose this move a second time, when smart, climate-friendly employers are crying out for a fix, they simply cannot claim to be working to support renewable energy.”

The oversupply of credits in the renewable energy target, due to the inclusion of solar water heaters, heat pumps and ‘phantom credits’ for rooftop solar, has crashed the price of renewable energy certificates, meaning commercial-scale renewable energy developments such as wind farms cannot get off the ground.

The Greens moved amendments to the legislation when it was debated in September to ensure that credits from these technologies were put on top of the target to prevent this problem from arising. It was a point that was pressed in negotiations with Minister Wong, but was rejected by both the Government and Opposition at the time.

“The Government and Opposition bend over backwards to protect the profits of coal corporations, but they won’t lift a finger when clean and clever renewable energy jobs are on the line.

“People are starting to see through the Government’s spin and ask what they are actually doing. Well here is a test – support this move and fix the renewable energy target or be shown up for the climate frauds you are.

“This is crunch time – time to drop the posturing and actually do something meaningful to protect the climate and create jobs.”

Note: The Greens’ preferred position is to take solar hot water and heat pumps out of the renewable energy target and placed in a parallel energy efficiency target scheme, however this is a compromise position which can easily be immediately implemented to save jobs at risk.

The notice of motion is appended below

Senator Milne

Notice of Motion

27 October 2009

I give notice that on the next day of sitting I shall move-

That:

a) The Senate notes:

1. That the Renewable Energy Target Scheme allows renewable energy certificates to be generated from the installation of solar hot water and heat pumps even though these are energy efficiency measures and not renewable energy generators and

2. That this, as predicted by the industry and the Greens, has collapsed the price

3. That many hundreds of jobs are at risk in the coming months unless the problem is fixed; and

b) The Senate calls on the Government to immediately re-introduce the Renewable Energy Electricity Act to address the problem by making the credits from these technologies additional to the Renewable Energy Target.
Senator Christine Milne