Environment Victoria has today dismissed the Warburton review of the renewable energy target as a flawed report that protects vested and polluting interests.
The report outlines five scenarios for weakening the renewable energy target. It dismisses the option of leaving the RET unchanged at 41,000 GWh which was the policy that the Coalition clearly articulated ahead of the 2013 Federal election.
Environment Victoria CEO Mark Wakeham said today:
“All scenarios proposed by the Warburton review would have devastating impacts on Australia’s renewable energy industry. If the Warburton review panel set out with the objective of protecting existing polluters’ business models they have delivered in spades. Unfortunately however the public interest has gone missing in this process as has any Coalition commitment to fulfilling their election promises.”
“If the recommendations of the review were implemented the biggest victim would be the solar PV and hot water industries which have been deeply embraced by the Australian public. The Coalition went to the election promising 1 million additional solar roofs, a commitment they have since abandoned. If they accept the recommendations of the Warburton review they will be the government responsible for killing one of our fastest-growing and most important industries.”
“Environment Victoria has been heartened in recent days that some quarters of the Coalition are calling for retention of the RET. This week Tasmanian Coalition Senators argued against changes to the RET and Victorian MP Sarah Henderson has also spoken up for renewable energy. We will be calling on our 65,000 supporters to send a very strong message to all Victorian Senators across all party lines that this is an important and necessary industry and the Parliament should not muck around with what has been an incredibly effective scheme.
Mr Wakeham concluded:
“It is ironic that the Warburton review argues that the RET is not the most cost-effective form of emissions reduction. Economists around the world agree that a price on carbon is the most economically efficient model for reducing emissions. Having scrapped the price on carbon, without the RET the Coalition has no chance of achieving its emission reduction targets with its poorly conceived and incredibly expensive Direct Action Plan.
Mark Wakeham, 0439 700 501