Senate backs Greens motion to secure ARENA

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne has today welcomed the Senate's agreement that members must be reappointed to the board of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

"After Clive Palmer excluded ARENA from his announcement, the Greens have worked with other crossbenchers to secure both the funding and the future of the organisation," said Senator Milne.

"It's good that the Parliament has now made it clear to the government that it wants the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to stay, recognising ARENA will only be a shell if it doesn't have a board and if it doesn't have adequate funding.

"The Greens welcome the Senate's support of our push for the government to reappoint the board, and further call on the government to abandon efforts to take more than $700 million out of ARENA."

The motion endorsed by the Senate this afternoon is as follows:

*342 Leader of the Australian Greens (Senator Milne): To move-That the Senate-
(a) resolves that it is committed to the continuation of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA);
(b) notes that on this day, 15 July 2014, the final two board members‘ contracts expire, leaving the Secretary of the Department of Industry isolated as the only remaining member of the board; and
(c) on the basis of paragraph (a) above, calls on the Government to immediately appoint board members to assist the Secretary of the Department of Industry in developing new and emerging clean energy technologies for Australia to export to the world.