Bill Shorten backs Dr Alan Finkel’s clean-energy
BILL Shorten will call on the Federal Government to get on with adopting the chief scientist’s proposed clean energy target.
BILL Shorten will call on the Federal Government to get on with adopting the chief scientist’s proposed clean energy target, signalling Labor’s willingness to change its current policy.
The Opposition Leader will tell the Australian Clean Energy Summit on Tuesday Labor won’t quibble over the difference between its emission intensity scheme policy and Dr Alan Finkel’s target.
Using Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s own words, Mr Shorten said the major parties must find the “sensible centre”.
“If the economic and environmental case stacks up, we’re not going to get stuck in a hairsplitting argument about the difference between an EIS and a CET,” Mr Shorten said.
“I think there have been enough battles, more than enough. I say instead of choosing a new battlefield, or revisiting an old one — let’s find common ground, the sensible centre.
“Let’s use all 50 of Dr Finkel’s recommendations as the foundation for a better, bipartisan energy and climate policy.”
Mr Shorten and energy spokesman Mark Butler have long argued that an EIS was the “gold standard” mechanism to tackle climate change.
An EIS would set a baseline for allowable tonnes of CO2 output per megawatt hour of electricity. Any business producing less would earn credits which would be sold to generators producing CO2 above the baseline which would be required to buy them.
A CET would, however, would force energy retailers like AGL and Origin to source a higher percentage of power from low emissions sources avoiding punishing high emitters.
“Let’s get the legislation into the parliament and through the parliament this year, so it’s not buried or derailed by an election campaign. That will require us to rise above politics as usual,” Mr Shorten said.