Renewable Energy

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Australian Democrats Senator Lyn Allison, which means that it was unsuccessful. The motion was:

That the Senate:

_(a) notes the recent polling conducted by the Australian Research Group on community attitudes to climate change solutions which found that:_

_(i) Australians want to embrace new, clean renewable energy technologies to deal with the challenge of climate change,_

(ii) Australians support a future based on new renewable energy industries rather than a continuing reliance on coal or a move to nuclear power, and

_(iii) the renewable options of more solar panels (91 per cent support) and more wind turbines (82 per cent support) were favoured alongside the proposal of reducing overall energy consumption (78 per cent support); and_

(b) calls on the Government to introduce effective policies that will result in significant clean energy investment and greenhouse abatement through support for:

_(i) the renewable energy market, by extending and expanding the existing Mandatory Renewable Energy Target, a renewable energy trading ‘green’ certificate scheme,_

(ii) the increased deployment of solar power through dual market of continuing the photovoltaic rebate scheme and introducing a feed-in-tariff,

(iii) energy efficiency markets, by introducing a national energy efficiency target and an energy efficiency trading ‘white’ certificate scheme, and

(iv) a transition to clean energy, by introducing a carbon emissions target and carbon emissions trading ‘black’ certificate scheme.