Ted's full of gas

The following opinion piece by AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten was published in the Sunday Herald Sun on November 12, 2006

THE Liberal Party's opposition to a mandatory renewable energy target for electricity companies is not only bad for the environment, but also threatens jobs and investment in regional Victoria.

The recent release of the UK Stern report on climate change has highlighted the need for us to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and develop clean energy sources to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Steve Bracks is meeting this challenge as the first Australian premier to introduce a mandatory renewable energy target.

The Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) scheme requires all electricity retailers to obtain at least 10 per cent of their power from renewable sources such as solar power, wind farms and hydro-electricity by 2010.

Incredibly, Ted Baillieu has announced the Liberal Party would tear up the scheme if elected, but has offered no real alternative.

This would stop new investment and new jobs coming to Victoria.

This was confirmed this week when a Portland company that manufactures wind farm towers, Keppel Prince, warned it would be forced to reduce its workforce if VRET was abolished.

By opposing VRET, Mr Baillieu has shown he cannot be trusted to run our state.

The VRET scheme will save 27 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, the equivalent of removing every car from Victorian roads for two years. The extra cost on our monthly power bills is said to be $1.

It is no secret I am on Labor's side. But I talk daily to people in the business community, as well as people on the shop floor.

They can't believe Ted Baillieu will not accept climate change challenges and make the hard decisions.

Steve Bracks has done this. Ted Baillieu is not ready to be Premier of Victoria.