My submission to the RET Review I am a proud supporter of renewable energy and want to see Australia lift its ambition. I want to see unambiguous, multi-party support for renewable energy, not endless reviews or threats of backtracking. I am also keen to see more communities seize the opportunities presented by community energy projects. The Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group seeks to emulate the initiative of Hepburn Wind. We are one of many communities that are on their way to building locally-owned energy enterprises and thousands more that stand to benefit. I ask the review panel to recommend a strengthening of the Renewable Energy Target through 2020, out to 2030 and beyond. The target should provide a clear signal to markets in order to support an orderly transition to clean energy. While we recognise that the government is under great pressure from the fossil-fuel sector to scale back Australia’s ambition, the sovereign risk this would present to the millions of Australian investors in renewable energy is unacceptable. At less than $1 a week for the average household, the benefits of the renewable energy target — jobs, a cleaner environment, and opportunities for community — far outweigh the costs. I also ask that the panel recommends taking the politics out of renewable energy by removing the biannual reviews and leaving any review responsibility to an independent Climate Change Authority. And lastly, I call upon the panel to recognise the important role that community-ownership can play in the renewable energy sector. The renewable energy target is a key policy in the development of a sustainable Australia and now is not the time to weaken Australia’s renewable energy ambition, or to undermine the community’s ambition to join in on, and benefit from the transformation of our energy sector. Peter Hansford
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 01:28:13 +0000
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