Media Statement, by Ted O’Brien
I sat through a speech delivered by Climate Change and Energy Minister, Chris Bowen, at the Clean Energy Summit.
He used a large portion of his speech taking aim at members of the Liberal-National Coalition, making disparaging remarks about seven MPs and Senators.
To use an industry event to attempt spiteful personal character assassinations is completely inappropriate and reflects on his own character more than those he sought to criticise.
While Chris Bowen used his key note address to personally attack people, everyday Australians are suffering the consequences of his failed energy plan.
Australian households and businesses are paying some of the highest energy prices in the world and the best the Minister could announce today was that Labor will spend the next 18 months putting together plans to get Australia to net-zero.
This is the same Labor Party that told Australians at last year’s election that they already had a plan to decarbonise the economy, and this confirms they never had a plan at all.
It took the Minister over 12 months in office to decide he should put together a plan to achieve the targets he legislated last year, meanwhile no one knows what he wants to do, how much it will cost and who will pay.
Labor has broken its promise to reduce household power bills by $275, to maintain a reliable grid, and it’s falling short of its target to deliver 82% renewables and a 43% reduction in emissions.
This morning was a missed opportunity for Minister Bowen to come clean about Labor’s failed policies and announce a plan to lower prices, stabilise the grid and remove sovereign risk so investors can close deals on renewables and other vitally important technologies, including gas.
Instead of conceding that he won’t achieve his 2030 target, he chose instead to tell everyone that he’s now thinking about his 2035 target.
The Australia people have heard it all before from this government which is big on promises, low on delivery.