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Don't let O'Farrell and Baillieu destroy wind and solar!

 

It's a perilous time for renewable energy in Australia. In NSW and Victoria, state premiers Barry O'Farrell and Ted Baillieu are taking the axe to solar feed in tariffs and declaring war on the wind industry.

In NSW, Premier O'Farrell slashed the solar feed in tariff without warning and despite promises has failed to replace it with anything that will keep the solar industry alive. Nearly 4000 jobs could be lost by the end of the year. Two weeks ago he said if he had his way there would not be another wind turbine constructed in NSW.

In Victoria, with Premier Baillieu new laws, a single resident can stop a wind farm within 2km of their house but a primary school in Anglesea can't stop a coal mine being extended to within 800m of the school. Ted wants wind energy out of Victoria! And cutting the solar feed in tariff to less than what you'd pay for coal-fired power just doesn't make sense.

The papers have been full of letters of outrage at this anti-renewable energy campaign but we need to make sure that they hear our message loud and clear.

Can you take two minutes to join us in telling Barry and Ted that this is just not on?

1. Add your personal message to the letter.

2. Make sure to include your name at the bottom of the email. If you would like a reply, also include your full postal address.

3. Hit Send

4. Invite five friends to do the same!

There's no doubt that Tony Abbott will be watching to see if O'Farrell and Baillieu can get away with their vendetta against renewables. Should he have the chance at some point in the future, Abbott may be only too happy to follow in their footsteps. Let's make sure he understands the risks.

Thanks for joining us in support of a cleaner, more prosperous future.

1633 signatures (90%) towards our goal of 1800
01633 1800
Read the email that my message will be added to

I’m writing to let you know that I’m far from happy with the way renewable energy is being treated in NSW and Victoria.

Wind and solar power are getting a hard time from both your governments at the very time these renewable energies are powering ahead in other parts of the world. While the world invested $243 billion in clean energy last year, your recent changes threaten to see renewable energy investment grind to a halt in NSW and Victoria.

As one of the thousands of Australians who are actively promoting renewable energy in my community I’m becoming increasingly concerned that we will be left behind in the race for a clean economy.

Premier Baillieu, your recently announced changes to wind farm planning laws will severely curb the development of wind in Victoria. We stand to lose not only large projects but also community-owned projects like those at Castlemaine and Woodend. Last month you were giving a Premier’s Sustainability Award to Hepburn Wind but we both know that it would never have been built if these laws were in place.

Why are you stifling the very innovation, hard work and creativity that Australians are known for?

Premier O'Farrell, your public comments that if you had your way you wouldn’t approve applications for wind farms also have me concerned. You’ll be aware that South Australia gets over 20% of its total energy needs from wind power and that this is keeping power prices lower than they would have been without it.

Don’t you want to tap into energy sources that keep power prices down?

Premiers Baillieu and O'Farrell, you’ve both taken the axe to feed in tariffs for solar PV systems. Hundreds of solar installers will lose their jobs because of your changes. These feed in tariffs have helped Australians get access to a power source that is coming down in price at a prodigious rate. Last year alone, 383 megawatts of solar PV was installed in Australia and the prices dropped by 40%.

Don’t you want to make it easier for Australians to get their hands on cheaper electricity?

Premiers Baillieu and O'Farrell, we know that we can’t carry on with coal and gas they way we did last century. Fossil fuels are Australia’s worst contribution to climate change. The price of both fuels is steadily going up. Coal seam gas development is a huge threat to our farmland and the water we need to keep feeding ourselves.

If you turn your back on a renewable future your legacy will be to lock us into having a dirty, expensive power system that nobody wants.

Don’t lock us out of a cleaner, more prosperous future! Don’t destroy the renewables industry!

Yours sincerely,

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