The decision by Labor and the Greens to vote against $192.5 million of new funding for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) demonstrates they are more interested in playing politics than in driving down emissions.
That Labor Senators teamed up with the Australian Greens to cut this funding and disallow a regulation which expands ARENA’s mandate to invest in carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and electric car infrastructure has cost an estimated 1,400 jobs and put at risk investments in many clean energy technologies
The loss of this funding would have supported industries like mining, agriculture, transport, manufacturing and electricity, industries which employ over 2.2 million Australians.
Labor has walked away from clean tech jobs and blue-collar jobs.
While this Senate vote was condemned by Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon, Victorian Federal Labor MPs Richard Marles, Libby Coker, Catherine King and Lisa Chesters were missing in action.
Like the carbon tax and Labor’s other reckless energy policies, this decision shows that Labor cannot be trusted to support technologies which drive down emissions and deliver clean energy solutions and more jobs including for regional Australia.
23 June 2021