Lambie welcomes RET deal and vows to fight to keep wood waste part of the Scheme

Independent Senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie has welcomed the news that a deal has finally been struck between the Liberal and Labor Parties with regards to a new Renewable Energy Target Scheme.

“Like all Tasmanians, I strongly support renewable energy. I’ve made many speeches in parliament and had many meetings with Minister Hunt and other federal government ministers with regard to RET. I congratulate Greg for his efforts.

“I’ve worked hard since the day I was elected to create a new RET scheme that exempted our big employers and manufactures from paying unfair RET penalties worth tens of millions of dollars a year.

Indeed one of the main reasons I resigned and became an independent Senator was so that I could support a new RET scheme that didn’t unfairly penalise Tasmanian businesses and threaten the job security of tens of thousands of our workers.” said Senator Lambie.

“I’m very glad the Federal government has listened to me and will now exempt Tasmania’s big manufacturers from paying the RET penalty in the new scheme. This exemption will save and secure the jobs of almost 10,000 Tasmanians – which were under threat if the old RET system remained the same.

The Liberals have not always held this view. In fact they were that ones that created the current RET scheme which unfairly penalised Tasmanian businesses and households for decades. It seems that by creating the current RET scheme the Liberals forgot that Tasmania – unlike every other state in Australia, is powered almost 100%, by renewable Hydro Energy – which is the cheapest, most reliable form of renewable energy available in the world.

And given that Tasmanians don’t contribute to green house gases when we turn on the power switch – it’s a national shame and grave injustice that over the years the Liberal, Labor and Green political parties supported a RET scheme, which effectively forced every Tasmanian – including our big employers and manufactures – to pay another tax which allowed mainland states to build more wind farms. Our manufacturing industry and ten thousand jobs were almost killed off because of the old RET scheme.” said Senator Lambie.

Inclusion of Biomass and Wood Waste

“Inclusion of biomass and wood waste, on the new RET deal is absolutely crucial for Tasmania. Especially, in our North West, because it means job security for hundreds of forestry workers and the possibility of creating hundreds of new jobs.

I urge fellow cross-bench senators and members of the public to ignore the usual Green lies that they’ll trot out, in order to exclude biomass and wood waste from the new RET deal. The Greens will peddle their extreme environmental propaganda and say that more trees will be cut down if biomass and wood waste is included in the new RET deal.
That’s just not true. The forestry industry in Tasmania has changed. It is more efficient and sustainable. The new RET deal will make them more efficient. The Greens, because of their fanatical opposition to changing the RET rules, have taken Tasmania to the brink – within a hair’s breadth of ripping out the economic heart of our state. And unfortunately for too long the Labor and Liberal parties have let them get away with this crime against the workers and businesses of Tasmania.” said Senator Lambie.

“I’ll co-operate and gladly work in good faith with the Liberals, so that their bill, which includes wood and Biomass waste-fuel as a renewable energy source remains in the legislation and is not removed by the Greens or Labor. I’ll lobby cross-bench senators so that they pass the Government bill without any amendments to the provisions for wood waste and biomass.

All I ask is that the Liberals co-operate and work in good faith with me for the best interests of Tasmania – and bring forward by six months the start of payments for the $200M boost to Tasmanian Freight Equalisation scheme.

However unlike the Liberals, I won’t hold this deal to ransom if they don’t start their new Freight Equalisation payments on July 1 this year (instead of January 1 next year), but I will remind the Parliament that the Liberals were prepared to place in jeopardy the jobs of hundreds of Tasmanians, because of an unnecessary 6 month wait for a $200M boost in the TFES.” said Senator Lambie.
Rob Messenger