Don’t butcher ARENA: Industry leaders sign open letter to Parliament

A group of leading clean energy innovators including such big names as Tesla, ABB, AGL Energy, FRV and Enphase Energy have teamed up with the Clean Energy Council and signed an open letter calling on the Australian Parliament to protect the funding of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), which stands to be wiped out if the Turnbull government’s omnibus budget savings bill is passed.

As we have reported since back when the sleight of hand policy was first flagged, $1.3 billion of the agency’s grant funding is at risk under the federal government’s omnibus bill. The letter reiterates what many have already stressed – that slashing the agency’s grant funding would be at odds with the government’s innovation agenda and – if supported by Labor – a reversal of the ALP’s long-standing support for the agency, which it set up under the Gillard government.

Here’s what they wrote…

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Comments

3 responses to “Don’t butcher ARENA: Industry leaders sign open letter to Parliament”

  1. howardpatr Avatar
    howardpatr

    Need to direct the letter to the nominal leader of the Australian Conservative Party who can send it with his comments to the likes of Abbott and Frydenberg.

  2. Steve Fuller Avatar
    Steve Fuller

    If the ALP does agree to the ARENA cuts will they also be cutting their sometimes tenuous connections with the Environment and Climate Movements? If so, this will be a significant betrayal of those Labor voters who had hoped for a robust policy agenda from the labour movement. Many of these voters see The Greens as a party with little appeal outside some urban areas. Whereto for the betrayed Labor voter? Let’s hope that Mark Butler and co see sense and reverse this policy.

  3. Geoff Avatar
    Geoff

    Take note here – the companies that you see in the letter are going to be energy providers of the future. AGL although still fossil is at least trying to reinvent itself…

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