Response to Coalition’s rejection of Clean Energy Target

Environment Victoria’s CEO Mark Wakeham said today:

“It is deeply disappointing that the Prime Minister has rejected a Clean Energy Target in favour of a Coal Energy Target.”

“Australia joins Donald Trump’s United States as one of only two major national governments to remove support for investment in renewable energy and redirect it to ageing and polluting power stations.

“If the Prime Minister’s plan were implemented, the highly successful national renewable energy target would end in 2020 and Australia would have no real plan in place to achieve its Paris climate change commitments.

“While the devil is often in the detail of major new policies, in this case the devil is in the central idea that electricity retailers will be forced to buy power from old and polluting coal-burning power stations.

“We urge state governments and other political parties to reject the Coalition’s ill-conceived plan for polluters.

“By providing a lifeline for power stations like Liddell and Yallourn that are beyond their use-by dates, the Turnbull government is choosing a hotter, drier and poorer future for Australia.

“Regional Australia will be hardest hit as a Coal Energy Target would destroy the pipeline of renewable energy projects that would otherwise provide jobs and investment in regional areas.

“Instead of acting in the interest of 24 million Australians, the Turnbull government is designing energy policy for about 10 people sitting on the Coalition backbench.”