WA election: Labor backs down on plans for renewable energy target

ALP accused of hiding push for 50pc target until after election for fear of spooking voters after SA blackouts | AUDIO

Wind turbines, one source of renewable energy. Picture: AP

West Australian Energy Minister Mike Nahan has accused state Labor of trying to hide its commitment to a 50 per cent renewable energy target until after the election on March 11 for fear of spooking voters in the wake of more blackouts in South Australia.

Dr Nahan responded today to the WA Labor Party’s statement that it would announce its renewables policy after the state election, saying the RET secret was well and truly out.

Today The Australian newspaper revealed that Labor energy spokesman Bill Johnston had advocated for a 50 per cent renewable energy policy for WA at a public forum in October last year.

His answer to a question about whether WA should have its own target was recorded, and the recording obtained by The Australian (listen below).

But Mr Johnston today backed down from that position, saying state Labor would sit down with industry after the March 11 poll to “see what is achievable and affordable”.

Dr Nahan said state Labor was now “sneaking around on this issue”.

“I attended function after function where Bill Johnston stood up, puffed out his chest and said ‘Labor – WA Labor – will commit to a 50 per cent plus renewables by 2030’,” Dr Nahan said.

“Next to him was Robin Chapple, the leader of the (WA) Greens, who said: ‘That’s why we give them our preferences’.

“This is a policy they have committed to regularly, it’s a policy of every Labor state, territory government or federal government. It is wrong. It is ideology gone wrong and it will hurt mums and pops.”

I was there when Bill Johnston said this on 27/10/16:
Q: Should WA have its own target?
A: The Labor party's target is at least 50% by 2030 https://t.co/uVAIcw0IUU

— Mike Nahan (@MikeNahan) February 9, 2017

Dr Nahan said a big uptake in solar panels had given WA a renewables boost – just over 12 per cent of the state’s power now comes from renewables. The use of LNG in industry meant WA had a light carbon footprint for a state with such high energy needs, he said.

The Barnett Liberal government had committed to COAG’s target of 23.5 per cent but it was a mistake to try to push beyond that to 50 per cent by 2030, according to Dr Nahan.

“In Western Australia we are an energy-intensive state, we have hot weather, we have air conditioning and we live in a modern society where we rely on energy for almost everything we do,” he said. “We process minerals, We transport long distances.”

He said the state’s coal industry, which he described as efficient and low cost, would shut down under a 50 per cent renewables target.

Dr Nahan claimed the outages in South Australia, where there have been at least three major blackouts since the state lost power during extreme storms on September 28, would be worse in WA if a state Labor government tried to emulate the Weatherill government’s renewables push.

That was because WA had higher energy requirements and extreme heat was often accompanied by still days, meaning wind turbines would not bring relief.

“If the Labor Party gets in on March 11 and implements what they’ve clearly enunciated – a 50 per cent renewables target – the same tendencies will flow, even worse in our state,” he said.

Dr Nahan alleged that WA Labor had not changed its position, despite a pledge to sit down with industry groups after the election.

“He (Mr Johnston) is trying to buy the interest groups but not tell the public and it is time for them to stop sneaking around the issue,” Dr Nahan said.

“This is really important. South Australia is an example of what goes wrong and we will be worse.”

Earlier: WA Labor backs off RET

The Labor Party in Western Australia has backed down on plans to unveil a renewable energy target during the election campaign but says it will sit down with industry after the March 11 poll to “see what is achievable and affordable”.

In a significant change on his previous comments, Labor energy spokesman Bill Johnston rejected suggestions he wanted to move towards a 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030.

His comments came after The Australian today reported that a recording of Mr Johnston at a conference in October last year appeared to show that he backed the adoption of a 50 per cent target in WA.

“The Labor Party’s target is at least 50 per cent by 2030,” he told the conference.

“We don’t believe that that’s going to push up prices — we believe it can be done on a competitive basis.”

Mr Johnston’s comments sparked claims from the Barnett government that a 50 per cent RET in WA would lead to big rises in power prices and South Australian style blackouts.

Earlier this week, Mr Johnston said Labor’s renewable energy policy would be released during the campaign.

But today he said there would be discussions on the issue after the poll.

“After the election, we will sit down with industry and the community to see what is achievable and affordable,” he said.

“WA Labor will co-invest to develop a diverse economy and new jobs in Collie and other regional communities.”