Cairns Post
Wednesday 28/5/2008 Page: 11
JOBS are being lost in the Far North because of the Federal Government's new means test for households installing solar power systems. Cairns Solar Equipment has already made one worker redundant, it has lost five $25,000 jobs and four more large contracts look set to be canned after the recent announcement to block households earning more than $100,000 from receiving an $8000 rebate.
Queensland Senator Ian Macdonald said the plight of the company echoed the concerns and realities faced by many Far Northern solar businesses, prompting a push to have the Government reverse it decision. Cairns Solar Equipment manager Rob Mulligan said yesterday it cost $25,000 to install a solar power system to the grid and it was generally only households making more than $100,000 who could afford the technology and now they were at a disadvantage.
"In these harsh financial times, most households have dual incomes just to make ends meet after they pay their school fees, mortgages, kids sports," he said. "The middle income bracket has now been left out of an environmental solution to their energy usage and once more has been abandoned by the Government." Senator Macdonald said the rebate made it affordable for ordinary Australians to do their bit for the environment but now that opportunity has been removed. "It also means that the businesses they have been building up over six or seven years are destroyed and their former staff will be thrown on the unemployment heap," he said.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett said the Government was committed to the solar industry and the Budget contained initiatives to encourage the industry. "Demand for solar rebates through the Solar Homes and Communities Plan has grown significantly and we've doubled the number of rebates per year from 3000 to 6000 and brought forward $25 million in this Budget to achieve in three years what the previous government set out to achieve in five." he said.
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