The Australian Solar Council has accused the Abbot Government of not being serious on reaching an agreement concerning the nation’s Renewable Energy Target.
According to the Council’s CEO, John Grimes, Ministers Macfarlane and Hunt met with selected industry representatives yesterday to table 32,000 gigawatt hours as their final offer – and that they would do a deal with crossbenchers if the ALP could not be shifted.
However, Mr. Grimes says not only has the ALP consistently rejected 32,000 gigawatt hours, some crossbench Senators have indicated the same as well.
Labor and the renewables industry are wanting a figure in the mid-to-high 30,000s, which is still substantially less than the legislated target of 41,000 gigawatt hours in 2020.
Labor has already indicated if the Federal Government was somehow successful in striking a deal with the crossbench, it may reverse any reduction should it gain office in the next election.
“What it really shows is that the Government just isn’t serious,” said Mr. Grimes. “The Australian Solar Council was specifically excluded from today’s meeting. Now, we have been critical of the Abbott Government but a serious, mature government – a good government – talks to its critics as well as its friends.”
Mr. Grimes says he was informed Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane “yelled at the participants in the meeting and threatened to storm out of his own meeting.”
An industry body that did attend yesterday’s meeting with Ministers Macfarlane and Hunt was the Clean Energy Council. CEC chief executive Kane Thornton was a little more upbeat about the situation according the Sydney Morning Herald.
“We’re encouraged by the fact the government and Labor remain committed to resolving the issue,” he said. “Clearly there’s some way to go but we remain optimistic.”
While the Australian Solar Council may have been shut out of the talks, it still had a busy day. It joined 21 other major environmental, social, religious, youth, health and renewable organisations in sending an open letter (PDF) to the Prime Minister calling on him to keep his election promise to maintain the existing Renewable Energy Target.
Mr. Grimes also joined Professor Tim Flannery, the head of the Climate Council, to launch their latest report “The Global Renewable Energy Boom: How Australia is Missing Out”
“The Climate Council report shows that as all of our major trading partners are investing heavily in renewable energy and at an increasing pace, Australia has put out the ‘Closed For Business’ sign,” he said.
