Through strong public pressure the Parliament has voted to pass the 20% renewable energy target legislation.
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. It means that more and more of the energy we use in Australia will be coming from renewable sources, such as solar, wind and geothermal.
The Australian Conservation Foundation has been working vigorously for this since 2004. 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.
The key to this victory has been the great public support for renewable energy and strong action on climate change.
ACF Executive Director Don Henry said “The next major priority for our parliamentarians, in the months leading up to the crucial UN climate negotiations at Copenhagen in December, is to strengthen and pass the emissions trading legislation to show Australia is prepared to walk the talk on climate change action”.
