SYDNEY, Fed 28, 2019 – The Labor Party’s plan to turbocharge New South Wales’ transition from coal to clean energy will reduce electricity bills and help to reduce the carbon pollution that causes climate change.This morning Opposition Leader Michael Daley announced that an incoming Labor government will power all State Government agencies with 100 percent renewable energy by 2025. This will include all schools, hospitals and prisons.
“After almost a decade of wilful inaction by Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the Liberal Party, it’s great to see Labor proposing measures that will help replace our aging coal burners with clean energy. It would mean more jobs, more reliable electricity and a safer future for all. It’s what voters are crying out for in the midst of fires, heatwaves, and ongoing paralysis from political leaders around the nation like Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison”, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Campaign Manager, Holly Dawson, said.
“Replacing that dirty power with energy from clean sources like wind and solar will not only help ease the climate crisis, but will benefit the whole of New South Wales with cheaper bills.
“However, we are disappointed that today’s announcement does not include a clear commitment and pathway to ending deforestation in New South Wales, which is the key driver of extinction and a key contributor to global warming.
“The Liberal Party has failed on climate. Even as our rivers dry up and bushfires rage through our communities, Berejiklian continues to ignore the reality. She has no plan to encourage investment in clean energy. No plan to begin replacing our aging and increasingly unreliable coal power stations. Every single person in New South Wales is paying the price for this, not only through higher electricity bills but also by missing out on billions of dollars in investment and thousands of jobs.
“Gladys Berejiklian will never be serious about taking action on the climate until she supports the expansion of clean energy and stops pumping money into the biggest cause of climate change – coal.”
The Opposition Leader, Michael Daley and Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Adam Searle, also unveiled plans to host a climate change summit within Labor’s first year in office, to develop a climate change action plan to achieve net zero emissions across the New South Wales economy by 2050. The outcomes of the Summit will be then be enshrined in law through a Climate Change Act.
The Liberal Party has a 2050 net-zero emissions target, but no plan for how it will achieve that goal.
Climate advocacy groups including Greenpeace, the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, and Solar Citizens, are calling on all parties contesting the NSW election to ensure:
- The NSW Government tenders for at least 4000 MW of large-scale clean power, along with large-scale battery storage;
- All government operations are powered with 100 percent renewable energy, including schools and public hospitals during the next government (2019-2023);
- Every household (including low-income and rental properties) can access solar power within 10 years by introducing a Solar For All Rebate and helping families with solar install batteries;
- Doubling New South Wales’ energy productivity by 2030 by investing in a range of energy efficiency programs; and
- Legislate for net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, and ensure all government decisions consider the impact of policies on climate change.
For interviews:
Greenpeace Australia Pacific Communications Campaigner, Martin Zavan
0424 295 422
