Solar Scorecard Launched For Queensland Election

The Australian Solar Council, the peak body for Australia's solar industry, today launched its Solar Scorecard in the lead up to the Townsville Save Solar Forum. The Solar Scorecard will help Queenslanders decide which political parties deserve their support at the election on 31 January.

"We will support any party that supports good solar policy," said John Grimes, Chief Executive of the Australian Solar Council.

"We have examined the parties' positions on the Renewable Energy Target - the major driver of investment in household, commercial and large-scale solar - as the basis for our scorecard.

"We found that while Queenslanders love solar, the Newman Government has only shown contempt for solar families, and that is the basis for our 'vote no' recommendation on the LNP.

"The Solar Scorecard shows how out of touch the Newman and Abbott Governments are, with all political parties, except for the Liberal National Party, supporting the Renewable Energy Target.

"The Newman and Abbott Governments have been the most radical, anti-solar Governments in Australia's history."

The Newman Government has:

* been the chief cheerleader for the destruction of the Renewable Energy Target;

* systematically shut down all climate change and clean energy programs;

* mismanaged the phase-down of the Solar Bonus Scheme;

* punished families who have installed solar in good faith and overseen a situation where families get no price for the solar power they feed back into the grid; and

* ensured that no large-scale solar or renewable energy projects have been built in Queensland over the last three years.

"Solar saves money and creates jobs, but under the Newman Government jobs are being lost and families are being punished for wanting to save money on their power bills," said Mr Grimes.

The Australian Solar Council strongly welcomed the Queensland Greens' solar policy announced on 17 January, and calls on the Government and the Opposition to announce comprehensive solar policies before the election.



Origin: about-alternative-energy.blogspot.com