The Greens have criticised the state budget over its failure to support environmentally-conscious West Australians, in the slashing of the State Government’s already mediocre “net feed-in tariff” for renewable energy.
By 1 November 2011, the tariff will be just 27c per kilowatt hour, down from 47c now.
“More and more people are talking about climate change, and prices on carbon,” said the Greens energy spokesperson Robin Chapple MLC.
“But as more and more West Australians had been putting their money where their mouths were on this issue, and investing in solar photovoltaics on their houses, the State Government has largely pulled the rug out from underneath them.”
“The State Government was very recently trumpeting the success of its net FiT in Parliament, but we can see what that apparent success brings – the Treasury axe.”
Mr Chapple said that the burgeoning WA renewable industry was looking down the barrel of a very bleak future.
“The Federal Government’s solar PV rebate will drop 40% on 1 July 2011. For WA residents, today’s announcement further hammers the economics of rooftop solar.”
“That means that an industry that should be a key part of WA’s future, and which has been running hot with business in recent months, is all of a sudden on its knees,” Mr Chapple added.
The fossil fuel industry will go to bed tonight with a Cheshire cat grin.
For more information please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255
