“A solar hot water system on every roof, good building insulation and photo-voltaic solar panels that feed energy into the national grid”, are key policies for The Greens in the forthcoming Lyne-election according to Greens candidate Susie Russell.
“We have been promoting these ideas for many years. If the major parties had listened earlier we would already have significant new industries in both the construction and installation of these items as well as spin-offs in education and training. As it is, the inaction by our representatives from the National-Liberal party have left us stuck in the starting gates.
“The Greens already have a proposal in the Senate calling for a realistic ‘feed-in tariff’ so households and businesses that feed renewable energy such as solar, into the electricity grid get a market return.
“A stronger Greens presence in Canberra will mean that innovative Australian technology will get more support politically. This will lead to more investment and we will be able to slow the tide of Aussie know-how that goes offshore to China or elsewhere to reach manufacturing stage.
“One of many examples of this technology is the advance in solar hot water systems from flat panels to evacuated tubes. I will be using the opportunity of a visit to the electorate on Monday by Greens MP John Kaye, to show him some of these tubes in action.
“Dr Kaye and I will visit a local household with this new type of hot water system and also feeding power into the grid via solar panels, accompanied by a local businessman Stuart Watson, involved with installation of such systems.
“The visit is a spin-off from the recent Chamber of Commerce forum on Renewable Energy. Bringing people together to discuss practical solutions is absolutely vital to how we deal with climate change. I congratulate the Chamber for starting to get interested in this issue and realising that going “green” is in fact the way of the future,” Ms Russell said.
Greens NSW MP John Kaye said: “Australia faces two stark choices. Business as usual will inevitably lead to job losses and huge import costs. Making the transition to solar water heating and energy efficient buildings now will reduce costs in the long run and build an export-oriented employment-rich manufacturing industry in rural and regional Australia.
“Federal parliament desperately needs people like Susie Russell with a long history of working for positive environmental outcomes that produce good quality employment opportunities,” Dr Kaye said.
John Kaye is one of four NSW Greens MPs. He is an expert in energy systems and has often spoken on the problems that privatisation of the NSW electricity industry will create. He will be arriving via Countrylink bus service at Wauchope station at 10am. The visit to the house at Sancrox will be at 11am. For details of the address or for further information contact Susie Russell on 0429655044 or Dr John Kaye direct on 0407 195 455