Solar Citizens slams the Coalition's decisions to axe billions from clean energy programs in their election costings disclosure.
Solar Citizens CEO Heidi Lee Douglas said:
“After months of silence on the issue, the Coalition has finally shown their hand and unfortunately it’s bad news for home solar and batteries, for cost of living and our climate.
The Coalition’s costings announcement reveals that clean energy is at a dead end under the Coalition’s plan.
If elected the Coalition won’t support the ALP’s Cheaper Home Batteries program, which is a responsible and well-designed policy to drive down energy bills for everyone now, and for decades.
Instead the Coalition has revealed a plan that guts clean energy, offers no relief on power bills, and puts our climate and economy at massive risk, by gambling on billions of dollars to be spent on risky, expensive nuclear reactors.
The Coalition also revealed plans to cut electric vehicle tax incentives which come on top of already announced plans to gut the New Vehicle Efficiency Standards.
Unfortunately under their plan it will be everyday Australians who will miss out on the cost savings that clean energy initiatives like subsidising home batteries and electric vehicles deliver.
How we vote will decide whether we have a cheaper clean energy future or end up paying for decades more fossil fuel dependence and pollution. Based on their policies and costings, the Coalition want us to sign up for future debt for the costly, risky folly of nuclear energy.
In their costings, the Coalition has redirected funding away from:
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$2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program: offers about a 30% rebate support for “Virtual Power Plant (VPP) ready battery systems” installed batteries alongside new or existing solar panels, capped at one battery per household. Labor intends for the subsidy scheme to begin from July this year should the party win the federal election, with batteries between 5-50kWh in capacity eligible for support.
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$26 billion Future Made in Australia Program: the current Government's economic plan which supports Australia's transition to a net zero economy.
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$19 billion Rewiring the Nation Program. Rewiring the Nation is an Australian Government program to make clean energy more accessible and affordable for Australian consumers. The program invests to modernise our electricity grid and deliver new and upgraded grid infrastructure. The program provides finance at concessional rates to minimise the costs of these investments. The aim is to lower the cost of this essential infrastructure to consumers.
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$16 billion National Reconstruction Fund: The National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) is a $15 billion initiative by the Australian Government aimed at diversifying and transforming the Australian industry and economy. It will invest in projects across seven priority areas to boost industrial capability, create jobs, and drive sustainable growth.
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Net Zero Economy Agency: Aims to ensure the workers, industries and regional communities that have powered Australia for generations can seize the opportunities of Australia’s net zero transformation.
- Tax discounts for electric vehicles: ending the exemption from fringe benefit tax (FBT) for electric vehicles