Today the Leader of the Victorian Greens Ellen Sandell has called for a large-scale home and community electrification package including extra rebates for batteries and solar panels, home insulation and the reinstatement of the community climate adaptation grants program, which was cancelled by the Victorian Labor Government.
Ms Sandell has called for this climate action package to be included in the upcoming Victorian State Budget, saying that the recent cyclone Alfred that hit Queensland and New South Wales needs to be a wake up call for all politicians that much more needs to be done to avert more climate disasters.
It comes as Victoria also just recorded its hottest summer on record, with many people forced to swelter in recurring heatwaves or face massive energy bills for running air conditioning.
Extreme weather events are costing billions of dollars as recent reports indicate that Cyclone Alfred has cost more than $1.2 billion of damage, people missing work and having their businesses forced shut by ongoing power outages.
The Victorian Greens say that we need to be doing more to prepare communities and prevent them from footing the bill of climate disasters, but instead Labor continues to burn coal and gas and has cut multiple climate programs.
Infrastructure Victoria just outlined that we're behind on climate targets and the most recent data says that Victoria's emissions have risen by 5%.
While Labor has cut the Community Climate Change Adaption Program, the battery rebate program, Home Heating and Cooling Program and reduced solar panel rebates as well as continuing to burn coal and gas.
The Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell said that the Victorian Government was not doing enough to prevent climate disasters or prepare communities for extreme weather - and that a large-scale cash-back program to move homes away from gas and install batteries and solar on Victorian homes would reduce energy bills as well as reduce emissions.
As stated by the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:
"Labor in Victoria has cancelled and cut multiple climate change programs while continuing to burn coal and gas which make climate change worse."
"Communities shouldn't have to continue to foot the bill for climate disasters while Labor governments cut climate programs and continue to burn coal and gas"
"We've just had the hottest summer in Victoria's history and Cyclone Alfred wreaked havoc on NSW and Queensland, it's not good enough for governments just to clean up after climate disasters, we need to prepare communities for the future and do everything we can to prevent future climate disasters by reducing our emissions now."
"The Greens are calling on Labor to reinstate cash-back programs for home batteries, and increase rebates for home solar panels, so that people can afford to move away from expensive gas heating to reduce their emissions and their energy bills"
