Invest in renewables, not coal and gas: Poll

Residents in Queensland’s largest electricity-producing region have spoken. This is what energy source they want the government to invest in. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Residents in Queensland’s largest electricity-producing region want the government to prioritise investment into renewables, such as hydrogen, rather than coal and gas, new polling has found.

And with just weeks until the state government releases its 10-year energy roadmap, leading climate bodies are ­calling on the government to fund a “regional transition authority” to help manage the impact of coal closures and have plans in place by 2024.

The YouGov poll of 402 voters in the Flynn electorate, commissioned by the Climate Council, found two in three people wanted renewables to be the government’s priority over coal and gas.

The same YouGov polling also found fewer than one in five people below the age of 35 wanted the government to prioritise investment in coal and gas.

The YouGov poll found most residents in the electorate of Flynn want investment in renewables rather than coal and gas.

Gladstone’s Deputy Mayor Kahn Goodluck said “failure” to ramp up investment on new industries was not an option.

“Our workers and their families’ livelihoods depend on it,” he said.

“It’s not just about capitalising on the opportunities that come with new industries, such as hydrogen, but also about ­decarbonising our existing industries and protecting, sustaining and even growing those jobs in a post 2050 world with net zero emissions.”