ABOUT 75 people rallied in Newcastle’s Foreshore Park demanding the federal government keep the Renewable Energy Target.
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The Renewable Energy Target was implemented by the federal government to provide the country with a cleaner environment for the future.
The plan was to ensure that at least 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity supply will come from renewable sources by 2020.
However, the Abbott government wants to scale the targets back. Rallies were held across Australia last Friday in an effort to draw attention to the need for continuing to invest in renewable energy.
Siobhan Isherwood, of CWP Renewables, felt having a rally was a good way to get people together and show how important renewable energy was to the people of Australia.
‘‘We need to send a strong, loud message to the government,’’ she said to the gathered crowd.
The Renewable Energy Target was reviewed earlier this year by an independent panel with the results published at the end of August.
Greens campaigner and activist Cathy Burgess said she thinks renewable energy was important for the Newcastle area.
‘‘I’m quite appalled they’re trying to get rid of the Renewable Energy Target; it’s working so well,’’ Ms Burgess said.
The Renewable Energy Target has created $20 billion in revenue and 21,000 new jobs across the country according to Newcastle’s Greens state by-election candidate Michael Osborne.
He feels that when there is investment opportunities that companies will invest.
Mr Osborne said that even if the Renewable Energy Target was to be left in place as is it is estimated to bring in a further $15 billion in investments and create another 18,000 jobs.
‘‘We shouldn’t be going backwards, these are the sort of jobs we need in our country,’’ Mr Osborne said.
Federal Minister for the Environment Greg Hunt and the Minister for Industry Ian MacFarlane released a joint media statement on the independent panel review of Renewable Energy Target.
The statement said the government would be announcing its response to the report in the coming weeks.
According to the statement, renewable energy plays an important and ongoing part in Australia’s energy mix.
It said the government was supporting ongoing investment in renewable energy projects, including a $1 billion dollar investment in almost 200 projects across a range of renewable energy technologies.
