2015-11-30
Thousands of jobs, cheaper power for Victoria under RenewAustralia plan
As the Paris Climate Summit kicks off, the Greens have put forward a plan to drastically cut Australia’s pollution that would create thousands of jobs in regional Victoria.
A new federal government authority called RenewAustralia would deliver a 15 year pipeline of clean energy projects through a combination of reverse auctions and direct investment, to ensure that Australia's energy generation is at least 90% renewable and twice as efficient by 2030.
“For Victorians, this means cheaper electricity, cleaner air and water, and doing our part to slash carbon pollution,” said Greens Senator for Victoria Janet Rice
“It means more rooftop solar for homes and businesses in regional Victoria, and investment in publicly owned wind farms, solar thermal, geothermal, hydro and biomass energy generators.
“Building up clean energy infrastructure is only one side of the coin. The other is the staged closure of coal-fired power stations like Hazelwood.
“The Greens want a transition out of coal, starting with the worst polluting power plants, to provide an orderly transition and give workers the security to plan their future rather than being thrown out by the company when it has no choice but to close.
“RenewAustralia would see Hazelwood in the Latrobe Valley, which is Australia’s dirtiest power station, go offline.
“RenewAustralia will have access to a Clean Energy Transition Fund to provide a just transition for workers and communities affected by the shutdown of coal and gas power stations and the mines which supply them by providing retraining, industry assistance and other support - to ensure no coal worker is left behind.
“Instead of taking Tony Abbott’s pathetic climate targets to Paris, these are the tangible things the Australian government can and must do to safeguard and strengthen our economy, our society and our precious natural environment.
“By powering our economy on at least 90% clean energy and shifting from fossils fuels to electricity for vehicles, industry and domestic heating and cooling, Australia’s total pollution will drop by 38-40% by 2030.
“We want RenewAustralia to have the ability to ensure that the right renewable energy generation projects are built in the right places at the right times in the public interest.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Sam Drummond 0400 352 935