By Matthew Sims
Liberal Eastern Victoria MP Renee Heath has criticised a bill to update the state’s renewable energy targets, likening its passing to “signing an economic death warrant on Victoria“ in State Parliament last week.
During debate on the bill in the Upper House on Thursday 7 March, she was one of a number of MPs to refuse to vote on the passing of the bill, which would increase the renewable energy target for 2030 to 65 per cent and 95 per cent by 2035, and energy storage facilities to have a storage and dispatch capacity of at least 2.6 gigawatts by 2030 and at least 6.3 gigawatts by 2035.
Ms Heath said the targets were “completely unachievable“ and “misleading“.
“In order to reach these targets we would need to install 22 solar panels per day, build 41 wind turbines per month and build the transmission infrastructure to support this,“ she said.
“It means upping the present installation rates 100-fold in a market for rooftop installations that has been absolutely saturated.
“Not only that, it will have dire unintended consequences.“
Ms Heath said she believed the amended renewable energy targets would cause energy costs to rise, predicting the amended targets would “accelerate the downward economic spiral“ the state was facing.
“Wind and solar can only be commercially successful when they are the recipient of a subsidy,“ she said.
“But how can a state that is broke offer a subsidy?
“Why are we misleading the public and saying that this is going to deliver savings?“
Ms Heath said the decommissioning of facilities such as the closure of Hazelwood Power Station in 2017 and other coal or gas plants had a “detrimental impact“ on the regions surrounding these industrial sites.
“Decisions that have been made within these four walls have absolutely devastated rural and regional communities,“ she said.
“I believe that this is another one.
“These harmful effects on farmers will be intensified by the proposal of the state and federal governments to just completely override property owners’ rights to object to obtrusive power lines and wind facilities being constructed on or near their land.“
While she voted in support of the bill, Nationals Eastern Victoria MP Melina Bath said she had a number of issues with how the State Government had handled the closure of the Hazelwood Power Station, the State Government’s gas ban in new homes and planning for transmission lines to carry the solar and wind power across the state.
“I am very concerned that this government will lead Victoria to a cliff and we will not have the transmission lines in place,“ she said.
“It very much shows a lack of proper planning, but it also shows that in walking towards these targets there still should be some green lights there – the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project continuing to use gas as a nimble productive energy source to literally keep the wheels turning when these disasters happen.
“We also want to see our coal stations working and taking up the slack that is occurring at the moment.“
Labor Western Metropolitan MP Ingrid Stitt said meeting its 2035 targets would create more than $63 billion in value for the Victorian economy and create 59,000 jobs.
“Our 95 per cent renewable energy target by 2035 is critical for ensuring energy security and cheaper power for Victorians,“ she said.
“This government is committed to building the cheapest new-build energy generation on the market – renewables – and putting downward pressure on prices while cutting emissions.
“Climate change is a critical challenge for our state and our planet, and the Victorian government is tackling it head on.“
Libertarian Party South Eastern Metropolitan MP David Limbrick and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Northern Victoria MP Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell were the only two MPs to vote against the motion.
