Renewable energy sector ramps up pressure for targets(Annie Guest reported this story via ABC.News)MARK COLVIN: Today's defeat of the emissions trading scheme may not have been a surprise, but it did come as a blow to the renewable energy sector.It's now ramping up pressure on the Federal Government to change its key renewable energy targets legislation to ensure its passage through Parliament.The targets are currently locked to the failed ETS bill.Companies and consumers say that without the targets, they'll shed jobs and Australia will lose environmental benefits.Annie Guest reports.ANNIE GUEST: Although the defeat of the emissions trading laws wasn't unexpected, David McCallum from the renewable energy industry watched today's events in Federal Parliament with dread.DAVID MCCALLUM: They're relatively scary or extremely scary to the point that, as a renewable energy industry player, that has serious ramifications for our market, due to the fact that the Labor Government coupled the renewable energy target into the ETS.ANNIE GUEST: The legislation, that set a 20 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, is yet to be debated, but it is expected to fail because of its link to the ETS bill. And David McCallum sees it as a broken election promise. He says the effect on his company Conergy is immediate.Conergy provides parts for solar and wind energy systems.DAVID MCCALLUM: For us, it means that we need to refocus our business. We need to look at what we're going to do between now and the end of the year in regards to our staffing numbers.ANNIE GUEST: How many staff do you employ?DAVID MCCALLUM: At the moment we've got 42 staff. We are looking at expansion of that before the end of the year, with new office locations in new states around Australia. I've already ceased those progress positions.ANNIE GUEST: And why do you think the Government coupled those bills together?DAVID MCCALLUM: Look, that's a question, of course, that I'll leave to the politicians to answer.ANNIE GUEST: Do you think it is political? Purely political?DAVID MCCALLUM: Absolutely. I do believe it is. We're pleading with them to separate the renewable energy target bill out of the ETS and to do it as quickly as possible.ANNIE GUEST: Today, the Federal Opposition asked the Prime Minister in Question Time whether the bill would be decoupled from the ETS legislation so it could be passed into law immediately.KEVIN RUDD: I go back to, in part, an answer I delivered to his first question, which is that if those opposite were serious in a negotiation with the Government on the carbon pollution reduction scheme, then they would have had a policy from which to negotiate.ANNIE GUEST: Kevin Rudd gave no hints about whether the Government would now redraft the renewable energy target legislation.KEVIN RUDD: Those opposite have not had a united policy position and therefore are in no position to negotiate with the Government on any matter of substance.ANNIE GUEST: The Opposition's environment spokesman is Greg Hunt.GREG HUNT: We are ready to give them our amendments within the next 24 hours, to talk, to negotiate, to solve and to create renewable energy legislation, at 20 per cent target, and a future for the current solar jobs and new great investment in the great energy sources of the future.ANNIE GUEST: How would the Opposition's amendments change the current renewable energy targets legislation?GREG HUNT: Well, our approach is very simple. If the Government won't decouple the legislation, then we will.MARK COLVIN: The Opposition's environment spokesman Greg Hunt ending that report from Annie Guest.For the latest green jobs from across Australia and globally please click here |