Can Minister Frydenberg hit the reset button on national renewable energy policy?

New Minister for Energy & Environment Josh Frydenberg has hit the ground running after years of poor policy choices by the Coalition.

Yet Minister Frydenberg has his work cut out for him to regain the trust of the community and confidence of the renewable energy sector. The anti-renewable energy agenda of Tony Abbott is still in the front of peoples minds.

PM Tony Abbott’s reign saw attacks on wind energy, a hostile review of the national renewables policy, and the Renewable Energy Target slashed by 20 percent. Investment in the sector collapsed by 90 percent in 12 months and over 2,500 people lost their jobs.

The renewable energy sector hung on through this turbulent period thanks to leadership from state and territory governments.

South Australia’s Renewable Energy Target made it a world leader in cuttting-edge wind energy technology. The ACT is on its way to be entirely powered by renewables by the end of the decade. And Victoria and Queensland have committed to ambitious and achievable targets of 40 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030 respectively.

Minister Josh Frydenberg can regain credibility for the Coalition at the upcoming COAG energy council meeting in Canberra on August 19.

The minister has called for states and territories to unite on renewable energy. An ambitious national Renewable Energy Target for 2030 from the Federal government — one that goes well-beyond the combined efforts of the states* — could be enough to hit the reset button.

Rest assured, Yes 2 Renewables and our allies will be keeping a close eye on Federal energy policy. Stay tuned for more updates.

* University of Melbourne academic Dylan McConnell’s analysis shows Australia is on track to meet 30-35 percent of its power demand from renewable energy sources. This is thanks to the combination of state and territory initiatives. Research by GetUp!, Solar Citizens, and the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures shows Australia could repower all homes and businesses with 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030.

TAKE ACTION:

Communities are mobilising to defend renewable energy from the fossil fuel sector’s attacks… Show your support by using the #DefendRenewables hashtag on social media.