At 5.01 pm on Tuesday, February 28, the Gillard Government cancelled its $1000 rebate for solar hot water systems as of 5 pm that day.
This decision puts hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs at risk in one of Australia's leading clean energy manufacturing sectors. It also makes it harder for householders to invest in a technology which saves them money on their power bills - as well as cutting their climate footprint. When the government loves to talk about moving to the clean energy future, and while it continues to subsidise fossil fuels to the tune of several billion dollars a year, this decision makes no sense at all.
Unfortunately, this decision is one which can be made by a Minister without coming through the parliament at all. Since the Greens only have direct influence through the parliament itself, we had no knowledge of it and have no direct power to change it. All we can do is run a campaign that seeks to pressure the government into reversing its decision.
To help out with this campaign, you can contact Mark Dreyfus MP, the Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, who has responsibility for the scheme and cancelled it on Tuesday. His phone numbers are available here and you can email him via our website here.
