PALMER United Party Senator Jacqui Lambie has reignited calls to boost Tasmanian exemptions from the Renewable Energy Target ahead of an imminent decision on scheme’s future. The federal government is expected to formally respond to an inquiry into the RET within days. The Dick Warburton-led review had urged the government to block new RET-related investments and scale back or scrap elements of the existing system. Its authors argued that the scheme was an unjustifiably costly approach to reducing carbon emissions amid falling electricity demand, saying the RET would far exceed its target of generating 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The Warburton review did not address the scheme’s impost on the manufacturing sector, but Coalition and Labor heavyweights have since argued that the RET should no longer apply to aluminium smelters. Senator Lambie says exemptions must go even further, arguing that Tasmania’s four largest energy users should all be excluded. She said the RET was crippling not only Bell Bay Aluminium but also Norske Skog, Nystar Minerals and Grange Resources, which pay tens of millions of dollars in related costs each year. Senator Lambie said the companies directly and indirectly employed about 10,000 staff and faced financial ruin if their RET contributions continued. She argued it was absurd that the companies paid RET costs given their power was drawn almost entirely from Hydro’s renewable sources. ‘‘The national RET scheme must be reformed immediately in order to stop the rest of Australia ripping off Tasmania,’’ Senator Lambie said. ‘‘If we don’t, then Tasmania will suffer a catastrophic collapse of our manufacturing industries, unimaginable unemployment and economic depression for decades.’’ However, advocates of the scheme argue that drastically changing it would threaten hundreds of jobs in Tasmania’s renewable energy sector. Senator Lambie added it was an ‘‘outrageous injustice’’ that Tasmanian households and small businesses paid RET costs. Her calls came after a parliamentary library study revealed Tasmanian residential and small business power users paid up to $408.50 in RET costs each year, with the scheme accounting for about 3.6 per cent of electricity prices.
PALMER United Party Senator Jacqui Lambie has reignited calls to boost Tasmanian exemptions from the Renewable Energy Target ahead of an imminent decision on scheme’s future.
The federal government is expected to formally respond to an inquiry into the RET within days.
The Dick Warburton-led review had urged the government to block new RET-related investments and scale back or scrap elements of the existing system.
Its authors argued that the scheme was an unjustifiably costly approach to reducing carbon emissions amid falling electricity demand, saying the RET would far exceed its target of generating 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
The Warburton review did not address the scheme’s impost on the manufacturing sector, but Coalition and Labor heavyweights have since argued that the RET should no longer apply to aluminium smelters.
Senator Lambie says exemptions must go even further, arguing that Tasmania’s four largest energy users should all be excluded.
She said the RET was crippling not only Bell Bay Aluminium but also Norske Skog, Nystar Minerals and Grange Resources, which pay tens of millions of dollars in related costs each year.
Senator Lambie said the companies directly and indirectly employed about 10,000 staff and faced financial ruin if their RET contributions continued.
She argued it was absurd that the companies paid RET costs given their power was drawn almost entirely from Hydro’s renewable sources.
‘‘The national RET scheme must be reformed immediately in order to stop the rest of Australia ripping off Tasmania,’’ Senator Lambie said.
‘‘If we don’t, then Tasmania will suffer a catastrophic collapse of our manufacturing industries, unimaginable unemployment and economic depression for decades.’’
However, advocates of the scheme argue that drastically changing it would threaten hundreds of jobs in Tasmania’s renewable energy sector.
Senator Lambie added it was an ‘‘outrageous injustice’’ that Tasmanian households and small businesses paid RET costs.
Her calls came after a parliamentary library study revealed Tasmanian residential and small business power users paid up to $408.50 in RET costs each year, with the scheme accounting for about 3.6 per cent of electricity prices.
