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building medium and large scale solar power plants.
The renewable energy industry is a young, sustainable and
promising industry that has the ability to open doors in the sense of
new investment, new industry and increased employment. For
example, Port Augusta currently faces a choice to become home to
Australia’s first solar thermal plant as its large coal-fired station is
being closed down. The realisation of the Port Augusta solar plant
alone would create 1885 jobs over the span of 6 years while the
current gas industry there would only provide 456 jobs over 2 years
and the coal, 250 jobs.
10
If so much information and research is stacked in favour of
renewable energy, why is consequent action not being taken by the
government? Australia is clearly not lacking in resources nor
technology. No, what we lack is far worse – the moral ethics, social
will and political agenda. Many politicians are unwilling to support
the policy changes we need and have been postponing decisions in
this area for too long. For years, they have continued supporting coal
mining and gas industries as they hand out copious subsidies for
fossil fuel use and production. In 2001, Australia’s subsidies for the
fossil fuel related market alone exceeded $6.5 billion. Between 2005
and 2006, Australia’s subsidies for the Energy Market ranged from
$9.3 to $10.1 billion. In Queensland, the State Government has
poured almost $7 billion in subsidies into the coal seam gas industry
in the past five years.
11
In total, the subsidies for fossil fuels account
for 96%, with only 4% for renewable technologies.
12
In fact, the Australian government and some Australian companies
have actually planned multiple projects of massive coal expansion
which would take the planet beyond the point of no return if they
were to go ahead. Australia’s coal and mining industry are our largest
income industries and are currently comfortably thriving from sales,
but in reality, how long can we continue relying on them? The
Australian Energy Market Commission identified in its recent report
that the three main causes of rising prices of electricity and energy
were the investment in an ageing infrastructure, the augmentation of
the cost of fossil fuels and uncertainty about carbon pricing.
13
The system may have once worked, but as our world advances,
Australia needs to as well. The Australian Government must to look
at different pathways to boost our economy. The effects of climate
change can only exacerbate economical trouble which is already
The Australian
Government
Must Stop
Fuelling The
Coal Industry
And Start
Investing In
100% Renewable
Energy.
Discuss.
10
Data from Beyond Zero
Emissions: Zero Carbon
Australia Stationary
Energy Report, 2011
11
Data from Climate
Institute and Australian
Research Group’s
Marginal Electorates
Election Campaign Poll,
November 2007
12
Data from Energy Policy
of Australia, Wikipedia,
last modified in May
2013
13
Data from the
Australian Energy
Market Commission
Report, 2012
12