Climate failure will cost Liberals thousands of votes this election

The Victorian Liberals’ refusal to provide a clear climate agenda and commit to Victoria’s future in renewable energy will cost them dearly at the polls, Environment Victoria said today.

With Labor and the Greens headlining their election campaigns with clean energy commitments, the Liberals stand in stark contrast with their support of coal and gas, and continued lack of climate policy. As Environment Victoria wraps up its biggest state election campaign to date, they say one outcome is clear – thousands of Victorians in key seats will be voting for renewable energy this election.

“The dirty and dangerous energy policy Matthew Guy’s Liberal Party is offering is the exact opposite of the responsible leadership voters want,” said Mark Wakeham, CEO of Environment Victoria.

“Environment Victoria has been in contact with over 100,000 voters in Victoria’s marginal electorates. We’ve heard time and again that voters in places like Frankston want a clear transition plan away from coal to clean energy.

“Based on what we’ve heard in our thousands of conversations, the Liberals’ pro-coal policies and hostility to renewable energy have cost them thousands of votes.

“The Liberals’ insistence on backing coal and gas will only increase power bills, destroy jobs in renewable energy across the state, and lock us in to a polluting and dangerous future.

“Environment Victoria has just undertaken our biggest and most successful election campaign to date. We’ve made 100,000 calls and texts, reached millions of Victorians with our television advertisements and billboards, and enrolled nearly 1500 young voters in key electorates who will be voting for the first time.

“We’ve seen  a race to the top on renewables from the Greens and Labor, with welcome plans to install solar on over 700,000 homes and to increase the state’s Renewable Energy Target from both parties.

“However the Liberals are missing in action, only providing token support for renewables and instead championing building a new polluting and expensive coal station.

“Despite our best efforts to engage them, it is clear that the Liberal Party is yet to learn from the Wentworth by-election, and is still prepared to risk losing elections over ideological stances on climate change.

“Matthew Guy is choosing to ignore the clean energy future Victorian voters want and instead pandering to the coal lobby. This dirty energy plan will cost the Liberals votes and could end up costing them the election,” said Mr Wakeham.