Energy White Paper a pamphlet for fossil fuels
Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne says the government's Energy White Paper needs to be binned along with the Warburton review into the RET, as both have been written to protect the profits of the Coalition's mates in the fossil fuel sector.
"This Energy White Paper is nothing more than a pamphlet by the wholly-owned subsidiary of the coal industry that is the Abbott government," said Senator Milne.
"All we're getting from this report is a commitment to business as usual for the big old polluters, and a promise to cut the Renewable Energy Target, abolish the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and close down the revenue-raising Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
"It's so backward. If the Abbott government was serious about increasing competition to cut power prices, they'd open their arms to renewables, not take action that will increase bills for solar homes and businesses.
"Internationally you've got big commitments by countries like the US and China to cut their pollution and switch to renewables.
"Here at home, Tony Abbott and the Liberals are just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. They're so deep in their protection racket for the big end of town that they're ignoring the huge toll their addiction to fossil fuels is already taking on our economy, jobs, power prices, our communities and our environment," said Senator Milne.
"Climate change is the overwhelming driver of innovation in the energy sector globally. Advances in battery storage and electric vehicles are ready to disrupt our traditional models of energy and transport. It's extraordinary to have a white paper on energy that fails to factor in global warming."
RET
"Now we've got Labor rolling over and saying they're willing to help the government cut the RET and destroying clean energy jobs, after promising that they wouldn't. Bill Shorten said in front of a community forum that Labor was not for turning.
"We need an Opposition that will actually oppose bad decisions and stop the government's attacks on renewables. We defended Medicare and universities that way - why not the Renewable Energy Target?
"There are no new jobs in old, dirty energy. New jobs are being created by the strong Renewable Energy Target that we already have.
"The issue for the government is that renewables are threatening the business model of the ‘big three' electricity retailers - Origin, Energy Australia and AGL. They control 72% of the market and use their market power to protect their own electricity generation assets.
"This Energy White Paper shows the Abbott government has every intention of protecting the profits of the Big Three at the expense of the community," said Senator Milne.
CSG
"This White Paper pushes for more dangerous coal seam gas, in spite of the widespread community opposition that was recently on display in the NSW election.
"It shows the Liberal and National Coalition's complete disregard for farmers and regional communities, who are left to deal with the impacts CSG and shale gas has on their water, land and climate."