[Greens-Media] Labor can't shake off fossil fuel lobby

[John Kaye]

Labor can't shake off fossil fuel lobby

Media release: 3 October 2014

Greens candidates for the Newcastle and Charlestown by-elections are
challenging their Labor opponents to explain their position on the future
of the Hunter and Lake Macquarie coal-fired power stations.

The Labor party's Environment spokesperson, Luke Foley, told the NSW
parliament his party will vote against the Greens' bill to slash greenhouse
gas emissions, reduce the health impacts of coal-fired power stations and
create tens of thousands of new jobs in the Hunter by transitioning the
state to 100 percent renewable electricity generation.

Michael Osborne, Greens candidate for Newcastle, said: "Tim Crakanthorp's
party supports the continuation of a coal economy for the Hunter, despite
the continued collapse in employment opportunities and the appalling health
impacts on local communities.

"While every ALP candidate says something nice about renewable energy, Mr
Crakanthorp's party has failed the real test on slashing emissions and
creating a new export industry for the Hunter.

"Labor cannot have it both ways. They are either with the Greens on turning
NSW into a world-leader in renewable energy or they are stuck in the past,"
Mr Osborne said.

Jane, Oakley, Greens candidate for Charlestown, said: "Jodie Harrison is
the mayor of a municipality that is on the front line of climate change.

"If she is to be taken seriously on sea-level rise issues, she has to
persuade her party to dump its opposition to taking serious steps towards
cutting the state's emissions with a plan for 100 percent renewable
electricity supply.

"Coal-fired power stations like Eraring are polluting dinosaurs that belong
in a by-gone era.

"Labor wants to  present itself to the electorate as the party of the
environment yet it shies away from the first serious opportunity to take
NSW off coal and gas and create an affordable, jobs-rich clean energy
supply," Ms Oakley said.

Greens NSW MP John Kaye, who introduced the Transforming the NSW Energy
Sector (Towards 100 percent Renewables) Bill 2014 into the parliament,
said: "Labor's Luke Foley told the parliament that our blueprint to replace
every coal and gas fired power station in the state with solar and wind
power was 'not a serious policy proposal'.

"He then declined to say what his party would do to address the 60 million
tonnes of CO2 emitted from the state's fossil fuelled electricity
generation or the $800 million a year health costs of the pollution from
NSW's coal-fired power stations.

"Mr Foley suggested we would have to wait until the 2015 election to find
out what Labor would do.

"The voters in Newcastle and Charlestown are being asked to trust Mr Foley,
Ms Harrison and Mr Crakanthorp to come up with an affordable, low emissions
plan that generates jobs.

"Given Labor's track record in government and their inability to shake
themselves free of the fossil fuel lobby, that is a big ask," Dr Kaye said.

More information: John Kaye 0407 195 455; Jane Oakley 0401 867 080; Michael
Osborne; 0429 442 984

Background: The Greens Transforming the NSW Energy Sector (Towards 100
percent Renewables) Bill 2014 was introduced into the NSW parliament by Dr
Kaye and would bind the NSW government to:

•    The creation of an expert panel to recommend the best mix of renewable
technologies and energy efficiency measures to phase out fossil-fuelled
power stations by 2030
•    Developing a mix of public and private investment in clean energy
technologies
•    A jobs-guarantee and retraining for all power station workers
•    Increasing the uptake of distributed electricity technologies
including solar panels by introducing an effective feed-in tariff and
reform of the national electricity market
•    Introducing fair and sensible wind planning guidelines
•    The removal of NSW government subsidies to coal and fossil gas
operations

Labor's Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change Luke Foley's
response to the Bill can be read here:  http://j.mp/Foley100pcR





-- 
----------------------------------------
John Kaye
Greens NSW MP
phone: 0407 195 455
web: www.john.nsw.greens.org.au
----------------------------------------