Australian Greens candidate for Corangamite Mike Lawrence joined local residents and members of the Otway Ranges Climate Action group ORCA in Apollo Bay today to call for Hazelwood, Australia’s dirtiest power station, to be replaced with renewable energy.
“The Gillard government wants to delay putting a price on carbon until 2012, but Hazelwood needs to be replaced and closed down by then,” said Mike Lawrence.
“I welcome the state government considering a partial closure of Hazelwood, but it needs to be completely replaced and for that we need a price on carbon and action from the federal government.”
“An independent report commissioned by the Australian Council of Trade Unions and Australian Conservation Foundation shows that the Geelong region would have over 34,000 new jobs created by 2030 with strong action on climate change.” *
“Weak action on climate change would mean 3,300 less jobs would be created. That’s 3,300 local people left behind who could be a part of the new green economy.”
“Strong action on climate change and creating these Green Jobs requires a price on carbon now, serious investment in renewable energy, feed-in tariffs for renewable energy and mandatory energy efficiency targets.”
The Greens have a proposal for an interim carbon levy, originally proposed by Professor Garnaut, which would put a price on carbon next year and allow for an carbon trading scheme in the future.
“There is no substitute for a price on carbon, the government refused to negotiate with the Greens to make their emissions trading scheme workable and have so far rejected the simple option of a carbon levy.”
“Kevin Rudd was right, climate change is our greatest moral challenge, but will the Gillard government do what the Rudd government couldn’t: put a price on carbon and actually start reducing emissions?”
“We must have a price on carbon and a plan to replace Hazelwood with renewable energy and create green jobs.”
* Creating Jobs - Cutting Pollution: the roadmap for a cleaner, stronger economy (ACF/ACTU)