The increase to Victoria’s Renewable Energy Target (VRET) to 50% by 2030 passed the first hurdle this week, with the Andrews government’s bill successfully passing in the Victorian Lower House on Thursday afternoon.

It’s a good step — with the federal government MIA on energy and climate policy, upping Victoria’s Renewable Energy Target will bring certainty to the renewable energy sector, creating a long pipeline of work in wind and solar. That is good news for climate jobs.

We’re in a climate crisis and rolling out renewable energy at speed and scale will be critical to decarbonising the electricity sector.

We have welcomed the government’s plan to increase the VRET, but believe we can smash this target and go all the way to 100% Renewable Energy. The bill is a stepping stone.

Evidence from South Australia and the ACT shows that when states set renewable energy targets, they exceed them.

We’re recommending that MPs consider adopting a ‘ratchet mechanism’ to ensure the legislated Victorian Renewable Energy Targets act as a floor and not a ceiling.

It would be eminently sensible for the government to automatically increase the Victorian Renewable Energy Targets—based on the latest climate science—when they are achieved ahead of schedule.”

By adopting a ratchet mechanism the Andrews government can lock in climate ambition and create a clear jobs and investment pipeline for Victoria.

Now that the new VRET bill has passed in the lower house, it will soon go to the state parliament’s upper house, the legislative council.

When the VRET was first legislated in Parliament in 2017 it won 21 votes in the upper house including MPs from Labor, the Greens and independents Fiona Patten from the Reason Party and James Purcell from Local Jobs 1st.

Now that the increase will be legislated, we want to see the number of votes in favour of renwewable energy and climate jobs go up.

That”s why over the coming weeks we will be engaging with crossbench MPs to see the VRET get every vote the policy deserves.

Stay posted for next steps.

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