Industry fears 40 per cent renewable energy target will push up power prices

Australia’s peak industry lobby group fears Victoria's decision to go it alone and pursue a 40 per cent renewable energy target within eight years will push up prices that are already hurting business.

The Turnbull government wants states to sign up
 to a national agreement on energy policy. 

The Andrews government tabled legislation on Wednesday that set a statewide renewable energy target of 25 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025.

In doing so it snubbed calls by the Turnbull government for states to join it in a nationally consistent approach to energy policy, prompting an angry rebuke from federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg.

The Matthew Guy-led state Coalition has already pledged to abolish the Victorian renewable energy target if it takes government next year.

Read Adam Carey’s story in the Melbourne Age - “Industry fears 40 per cent renewable energy target will push up power prices.”

(Concerns that the climate change conversation would become politicized were first voiced probably a decade ago, or even earlier, and now that fear had most certainly been realised, with the Victorian Labor Government introducing renewable energy targets and the Coalition opposition vowing it would abolish that target if and washer they are elected - a safe future for Victorians, and of course in a broader sense, the people of the world, has been swept up into an ideological debate - Robert McLean)

National Farmers Federation partner with Climate Action farmers

Lucinda Corrigan, a stud cattle breeder
on the south west slopes of NSW,
 says winters are shorter and less severe.

Lobby group the National Farmers Federation (NFF) has joined forces with Farmers for Climate Action (FCA) to advocate for emission reduction that helps grow agriculture.

NFF president Brent Findlay said it would help influence policy measures on tackling influence policy.

The FCA group has drawn farmers from across Australia, who have been through industry-led programs like: Managing Climate Variability funded by research and development corporations, the Victorian Primary Industries Adaptation research group and the Climate Champions Program.

"As a nation we can do more to reduce emissions, and farmers we've surveyed agree on the need to cap the temperature increase because they're seeing the changes on their properties," said FCA committee member Lucinda Corrigan, a cattle breeder and former board director of Meat and Livestock Australia.

Read the ABC Rural story - “National Farmers Federation partner with Climate Action farmers.”

Climate Institute fights for survival as philanthropic funds exhausted

A leading think tank and lobby group on climate change is fighting for its survival after the multimillion-dollar support of its primary benefactor ran out.

The Climate Institute, which has become one of Australia's most prominent environment and climate groups since being set up through a bequest in 2005, suffered a 62 per cent fall in revenue last financial year.

It came at the end of a decade of backing from foundations run by Rupert Murdoch's niece Eve Kantor and her husband, farmer Mark Wootton, who created the institute with a goal of helping set Australia on a path to combating climate change.

Read The Age story - “Climate Institute fights for survival as philanthropic donation runs out.”