Dear Malcolm, you must try harder. You are letting the nation down

Dear Malcolm,

I’m sorry to say, but your mid-term report leaves a lot to be desired.

You told us all you cared so much about climate change, about the future – that you could never support that other guy’s team rules and gameplans.

But let’s be frank for a second Malcolm. You’ve had a little while to straighten things out and get things back on track.

We saw you head off to Paris and tell us all how important it was we played our part in tackling climate change, we all saw you making a fresh start – talking about innovation, the new economy for Australia, the importance of science and technology. The works.

Roll forward a few months and it’s getting clearer and clearer that the only thing that’s really changing is the world around us.

Malcolm you must try harder. Your efforts on behalf of the community really are not good enough. Not by a long shot.

So where do we start?

Before I decided to write to you directly I thought I would ask around a bit with your neighbours and the people in the suburbs near you. Sir, you might have missed some simple truths and it’s time you heard them.

Malcolm, in the seat of Wentworth, a ReachTel poll just conducted is telling me that 63.5% (yes that’s right 63.5%) of people surveyed would be more likely to vote for a party which had a policy to gradually transition Australia away from coal-fired power to 100% renewable power by 2030.

Nearly 50% (47.1%) of those same folks would be less likely to vote for a party that was holding back the transition to 100% renewables by 2030.

Look, I know you have a deep love of this whole politics thing so just so you are really clear – 12.2% of those same people told us that the area of ‘renewable energy’ could influence their vote at the next Federal Election, ranking higher than national security and health.

I gather you’re paying attention now, so here goes, 6.2% of voters in your beloved Wentworth that were surveyed are currently uncommitted to their vote, and 28.6% are just ‘somewhat committed’.

You say you recognise that we are living through the greatest transition since the industrial revolution and that, you want your people, and indeed every Australian, to benefit. It’s time for you to pull your socks up and grab a slice of the multi-billion global renewables boom.

Now here’s some economic truths. Over the last few years, more money globally has been invested in renewables than fossil fuels, and more renewables capacity has been built than fossil fuel. Nearly three times as much money was invested globally in renewables in 2015 than a decade earlier. As costs fall, that money is buying more, and renewables deployment is accelerating.

There are now over 23 million solar panels installed in Australia, one for every man woman and child. But most of them have been paid for by families and small businesses. The policy incentives and stability for large renewables are not being provided by your Government. And Australia is in danger of losing our natural place spearheading the renewables revolution.

Australia could embrace this opportunity fully if you became the bloke we reckon you are and made the decision to really lead from the front, as we hope you can.

If we have the political will to make the most of this shift, Australia will reap the benefits for generations by becoming the transformative economy you speak of.

As a community leader we need you to urgently lead, to reboot the system, to repower the country and to actively remove the roadblocks for this great transformation. A transformation that is well underway.

Malcolm – coal-fired power is the telegraph, renewables are the high speed internet.

Australia is the sunniest continent on earth and we need our community leaders to lead. Malcolm, it’s time you tried a lot harder. Show us what you’ve got.

Sincerely, Claire O’Rourke – National Director, Solar Citizens