A GetUp campaign is asking Australians to join the NEG battle by urging state leaders to vote down the proposed National Energy Guarantee (NEG).
Activist group GetUp urges Australians to flood the offices of state energy ministers with messages. GetUp wants at least one more government to join the ACT in voting against the NEG. The reason: the group says the NEG’s emissions target is far too low.
Meanwhile, former Greens leader Dr Bob Brown has also joined the fray ahead of the crucial meeting of Council of Australian Government (COAG) members on August 10.
Brown has dubbed the NEG a “cop out” and says its emissions target should be trebled by 2030. It currently allows for a 26 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions over the next 12 years.
Turnbull Government braced for coming NEG battle
The NEG can’t be approved without a unanimous vote from state and territory energy ministers. The ACT is the only state government so far to take a firm stance against the proposed plan.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has accused GetUp of being part of the problem, rather than part of the solution.
Frydenberg said GetUp’s “extreme” approach is ideological and does not take into consideration the high cost of electricity .
The Turnbull Government insists that because the NEG is ‘technology agnostic’ all forms of energy will compete on equal merit.
Renewables are already on track to supply 40 per cent of the National Electricity Market in the eastern states by 2040, according to Green Energy Markets statistics. This is due to the ongoing increase in solar installations by Australian households and businesses looking for cheaper power bills.
NEG centre of conflict for industry bodies
According to former head of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation Oliver Yates, the NEG is an enabler for coal. He told the Guardian it should therefore be rejected by all states.
The Smart Energy Council insists the NEG will “lock out renewables” for a decade.
However, there is support for the NEG from within the business community. This includes steel manufacturer BlueScope and mining giant Rio Tinto.
The National Farmers’ Federation, Manufacturing Australia and the Business Council of Australia are also on board.
