Government under fire over rush to promote new power generation

The Morrison government has copped a blast for calling for expressions of interest in new power generation projects before it is clear that any enabling legislation can clear the parliament before the next federal election.

The government is pressing ahead with proposals
 to underwrite new power generation.

The Australia Institute has used a submission to a government consultation process to criticise the government for “building the process while running it” – pointing out the Coalition is calling on interested parties to pitch projects before the parliament has set up the necessary policy framework – a procedure “which poses a number of risks”.

The energy minister, Angus Taylor, has suggested the government may underwrite investment in new power generation and indemnify coal projects against the future risk of a carbon price.

Labor has signalled it would not support either form of taxpayer intervention. The opposition has also been sharply critical of other elements of the government’s latest energy foray, which indicates the Coalition is unlikely to land a bipartisan consensus on a package which has already triggered a strong backlash from stakeholders.

Read the story from The Guardian by Katharine Murphy - “Government under fire over rush to promote new power generation.”

Marginal federal seats in the firing line over climate change inaction

Climate change is firming as a deciding issue at the next federal election after conservationists launched a plan targeting three MPs in marginal seats and a leading ratings agency blamed energy policy uncertainty for hampering renewables investment.

Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive
 Kelly O'Shanassy says MPs ignore climate change at
their "political peril".CREDIT:

The Australian Conservation Foundation, one of the nation’s most prominent environment groups, will target the marginal Liberal seats of Bonner and Chisholm over the government’s lack of progress on emissions reduction, and the Labor seat of Macnamara over that party’s continued support for the coal industry.

Read the story from The Sydney Morning Herald by Nicole Hasham - “Marginal federal seats in the firing line over climate change inaction.”