AAP Newswire
Sunday 1/6/2008
CANBERRA, June 1 AAP - The Rudd government has been accused of neglecting to set aside money for renewable energy. Treasurer Wayne Swan has been criticised for a budget decision to means test the $8,000 rebate for installing solar energy panels. But that's just one of several blows to the renewable energy sector, University of New South Wales (UNSW) senior lecturer Mark Diesendorf says.
"Even worse is the government's inexplicable refusal to allocate anything in 2008-09 from the much-vaunted Renewable Energy Fund ($500 million over six years)," Dr Diesendorf said in a statement. "Yet the Clean Coal Fund ($500 million over eight years) will pay out $35 million in 2008-09. "This suggests a bias against renewable energy compared with coal." Dr Diesendorf, from the university's Institute of Environmental Studies, said there were serious problems with the government's decision to match $1 for every $2 contributed by industry to both funds.
"It's straightforward for the coal industry to raise $1 billion by placing a small levy on each tonne of coal and so claim the full $500 million from the government," he said. "But it could be an impossible task for the fledgling renewable energy industries to raise $1 billion. "If so, the Renewable Energy Fund is a feel-good illusion that may never be fully spent. Voters may well conclude that the Rudd government has violated an implicit promise to them." Voters would be disappointed in the policy backdown when they preferred Labor's stance on renewable energy at the previous election, he said.
Big greenhouse gas emitting industries appeared to have gained the same level of influence over the Rudd government as they had over the former Howard government. geothermal drilling was the only renewable energy source to be allocated specific budget funding, Dr Diesendorf said. "Yet efficient energy use, solar power and second-generation biofuels all need urgent research funding to enable Australia to respond to the combined threats of global warming and peak oil with a broad mix of technologies," he said.
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