18 June 2009
NATIONAL: Hundreds of employees in the emerging solar PV industry face immediate layoffs as a direct result of today's decision by the Senate to defer the government's Renewable Energy Target (RET) bill.Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Matthew Warren said the decision will only further delay clean energy projects across Australia which are poised to create thousands of new jobs and stimulate multi-billion dollar investments in regional Australia. Mr Warren said Australia's emerging solar PV industry will again bear the immediate brunt of today's latest political posturing, with dynamic new companies halted in their tracks and now making forced job cuts in the wake of today's decision.
"Clean energy companies around Australia will now put hiring plans on hold and in some cases be forced to start shedding staff," he said. "Investing in large scale clean energy projects should be the front line response to climate change. This RET legislation should have been passed a year ago." "Instead we saw it introduced late into the Parliament and linked to the carbon pollution reduction scheme by the government, and now it has been deferred by the coalition," stated Mr Warren.
The Clean Energy Council provided detailed amendments to all sides of politics to remove any impediments to the passage of the RET bill. Industry representatives have met with senior advisers from Prime Minister's office. We have met with Minister Wong and her staff. We have met with senior advisers to Malcolm Turnbull. We have met the Shadow Minister Greg Hunt. And we have met with the Greens and the Independents. All have said that they support the introduction of the 20% Renewable Energy Target.
"Our question to the Parliament is then 'Why is this so difficult?" Mr Warren said. "It's time for all sides of politics to stop treating renewable energy as a political football and get on with the clean energy revolution demanded by the clear majority of Australians."
1 comments:
As the rest of the world passes us in the implementation of climate change initiatives the Canberra politicians will still be playing their power games.
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