John Anderson says National Energy Guarantee not ‘strong enough’

Former deputy prime minister John Anderson has cautioned against tripping over in the race for renewables.

Mr Anderson said while the NEG was the “best thing on offer”, it needs work.

Former deputy prime minister John Anderson has cautioned against tripping over in the race for renewables as he warns the national energy guarantee isn’t “strong enough”.

Malcolm Turnbull’s signature energy policy will face the Coalition party room tomorrow after surviving a COAG meeting on Friday.

The former Nationals leader, who served in the Howard government for six years, said on Sky Newsprogram Kenny on Sunday that while he believed in renewables he was wary the NEG could potentially do more harm than good.

“I profoundly believe that Australia together, I’m not going to single out the National party, needs to say we can best serve ourselves and the world by keeping our economy strong and by using our energy wisely, that means it has to be affordable, it has to be practical.” he said.

“I believe in renewables, but to not plan to get there properly and to blow yourself out of the water economically and socially in the meantime is nuts, it’s stupid.”

Mr Anderson said while the NEG was the “best thing on offer”, it needs work and those opposed to it held an ulterior agenda.

“I don’t believe it is strong enough yet, it’s the best thing on offer, but it’s going to have to be improved, and again those who are opposed to it need to come clean and say what their real agenda is.”

He said there was no evidence supporting the efficacy of renewable energy.

“This idea that we’ll get cheaper power from renewables with current technology — show me where that’s happened in the world.” He said. “The evidence is overwhelming. It’s very expensive, it’s very unreliable.”

Anderson forcing energy production offshore would cause greater harm to the environment in the long term.

“We will do more damage to the global environment, if climate change is a problem, by pushing our efficient industries offshore,” he said. “They’re not going to disappear from the planet, they’ll simply go elsewhere, we should do them here.”

Tony Abbott earlier today cast doubt over Turnbull’s claim that the NEG had the overwhelming support of the Coalition party room.