21/07/23
Coalition analysis has found the Albanese Labor Government’s rush towards 82% renewable energy could expose Australia to unnecessary national security risks due to a dependence on imported solar panel components from China.
The review, led by Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security James Paterson, uncovered exploitable flaws and vulnerabilities in smart inverters which accompany many Australian solar PV systems.
With almost 60 percent of installed smart inverters being supplied by Chinese manufacturers which are bound by China’s National Intelligence Laws, Senator Paterson has warned that this could leave Australia vulnerable to potentially catastrophic cyber-attacks.
Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Ted O’Brien has called on the Federal Government to urgently review the energy security implications of its 82% renewables target.
“Energy security is national security,” Mr O’Brien said. “Providing affordable and reliable energy that is free from foreign interference should be first order priorities of government and Labor is failing on all fronts.”
“Nothing is more important than guaranteeing Australia’s security and the electricity grid is central to this.”
“Chris Bowen has previously paid lip service to the national security risks associated with Australia’s dependence on imported solar components, but he has done nothing about it.”
The revelations follow a damning report by the independent Productivity Commission which found the Albanese Labor Government’s domestic battery manufacturing plan could ‘hurt (Australia’s) GDP’.
“Labor is allergic to robust economic modelling as they’re afraid of what they’ll find,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Labor promised Australians everything under the sun to win the last election but it’s failing to deliver anything except higher energy bills and a more unreliable grid that is exposed to cyber security risks.”
ENDS
Contact: Mitch Bland 0401 257 064