Leave RET alone and we’ll talk: Christine Milne

GREENS Leader Christine Milne has offered to negotiate with Tony Abbott on the Coalition’s Direct Action climate change policy.

Greens leader Christine Milne. Picture: Ray Strange

GREENS Leader Christine Milne has offered to negotiate with Tony Abbott on the Coalition’s Direct Action climate change policy in return for the renewable energy target remaining untouched.

Senator Milne made the move to deal the Greens back in to the climate change debate in a speech at the National Press Club, declaring “the Prime Minister must abandon his attack on the RET if he wants the Australian Greens to consider Direct Action’’.

The move could give the government a second Senate bloc to talk to, as Clive Palmer has linked support for Direct Action to the retention of a zero-rated emissions trading scheme.

Senator Milne said 150 projects had been put at risk by the axing of the carbon tax.

“The only way those jobs and ongoing climate emissions reductions can be rescued is for the government to negotiate on putting some spine or rigour into Direct Action,’’ she said.

Climate change was accelerating. “If there were an alert system for the threat global warming poses to our way of life, the alert meter would read ‘extreme’,’’ she said.

Senator Milne conceded that the environmental movement had made the mistake of focusing too much attention on having a price on pollution rather than selling the vision for the future. This included research and development, technologies, jobs, investment and clean energy.

Senator Milne said coal-fired power stations needed to be regulated to remove excess capacity of up to 9000 megawatts. “This should be a regulated phase-out based on emissions intensity,’’ she said.

The government is examining the RET after receiving the report on the scheme by a panel headed by businessman Dick Warburton.

The review recommended that the RET either be closed to new entrants or reviewed every year, with renewables given a half share of growth electricity demand.

John Pierce, the chairman of the Australian Energy Market Commission, will today back cutting the RET to a real 20 per cent share of the market.

Mr Pierce will tell an energy conference that as worthwhile as the RET was, the national electricity market should not be designed to fit the structure of the RET; the RET should be designed to fit the market.

The RET, as it was currently designed, had no flexibility to adapt to changing energy market conditions.