The Smart Energy Council has urged all State and Territory Governments to reject the Morrison Government's pro-coal, anti-solar agenda.
The Morrison Government has adopted a comprehensive pro-coal, anti-solar agenda, including:
· An annual $7 billion CoalKeeper subsidy that will allow unprofitable, ageing, polluting coal-fired stations to operate well beyond their lifespan; and
· A new SolarStopper tax on solar farms (also known as the the Congestion Management Model);
Chief Executive of the Smart Energy Council, John Grimes, said: "These are the worst possible policies at the worst possible time."
"The world is literally burning and the Morrison Government is fuelling the fire."
"The latest United Nations climate report has provided the starkest warning yet that we must stop funding coal projects and instead dramatically increase support for solar and the Morrison Government is heading in the exact opposite direction."
"The Morrison Government has no climate policy, no electric vehicle policy and the same emissions reduction target that it had under the Abbott Government in 2015."
"Angus Taylor should stop verballing State and Territory Energy Ministers and instead work with them to build a strong, smart energy economy."
"Energy Ministers should urge Federal Energy Minister, Angus Taylor, to go back to the drawing boards and develop an energy and climate change policy for the 21st Century, ahead of the critical COP26 international climate change meeting in November 2021."
The Smart Energy Council - an independent peak body for Australia's solar, energy storage and smart energy management industry – has written to all State and Territory Energy Ministers, outlining this call to action.
