Renewable Energy Law Passed in Australia

The Australian Parliament has now voted for the 20% renewable energy target.

Finally Australia is making a big step towards a brighter, cleaner energy future. This is the first substantial piece of climate legislation passed by the Australian Parliament.

This is a big win for the environment and a big win for clean energy jobs. Independent economists estimate that this will unleash up to $30 billion in investment and 26,000 new jobs for Australians.

This means that more and more of the energy we use in Australia will be coming from renewable sources, such as solar, wind and geothermal, and we can accelerate the move away from dirty fuels.

The key to this victory has been the great public support for renewable energy and strong action on climate change.

By being a supporter of ACF, you’ve played a big role in making this happen. It couldn’t have happened without you!

ACF has been working vigorously for this since 2004 and we’re finally there. The renewable energy law is not perfect – we are disappointed more compensation has been granted to big polluters – but it’s a great start and we’ll keep working for higher targets and stronger laws to speed up the transition to a clean energy economy.

Now we can focus our efforts on the next big piece of climate legislation, the one that puts a price on greenhouse pollution, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS). It needs to be strengthened and passed in time for Australia to play a leadership role at the Copenhagen climate negotiations in December.

We’ll keep you posted on developments and how you can help our campaign over the next crucial few months.

Thanks again from all here at ACF.

Don Henry