Power to the people: towards a publicly owned electricity grid

The Greens will seek to return the national electricity grid into public hands, starting with the vital interconnectors between regions.

The policy will help bring down electricity prices and help cut pollution by ensuring better planning and investment to underpin a clean energy future.               

Climate policy travesty as pollution continues to rise

Greens climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today slammed the government’s climate review, released today, as a piece of propaganda designed to justify the government’s failed policies. The data and the policy review released today reveal:

·         Australia’s overall annual emissions in 2016-17 are estimated to have increased 0.7 per cent on the previous year to 550.2 Mt CO2 -e.

RET cutting power bills, but ALP + Libs cutting RET: Bandt

Sick and disturbing that emissions continue to rise: Bandt

In response to reports that Australia’s emissions over the past year are rising, with projections that our transport emissions could be the highest on record, Greens climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today expressed his fury at the government’s climate denialism.

“It’s hard to believe that in 2017, when every country not ruled by a megalomaniac is trying to reduce their emissions, Australia’s emissions continue to rise,” said Mr Bandt.

Andrews betraying renewables by backing NEG and Turnbull’s coal-huggers: Greens

Greens climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP and Victorian Greens climate and energy spokesperson Ellen Sandell MP today said that Daniel Andrews has betrayed renewables by backing in the NEG at COAG on Friday.

Quotes attributable to Adam Bandt:

“Daniel Andrews has betrayed renewables by backing in the coal-huggers at COAG. He has sold his soul to coal.

Coal unreliable and Alinta spending a billion on a ‘stranded asset’

Greens climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today said that Alinta’s decision to spend over a billion dollars to purchase a dirty coal-fired power station will come back to haunt them.

“Victoria can’t rely on coal,” said Mr Bandt.

“Coal-fired power stations are struggling with the heat.

“We also need to retire one coal-fired power station a year until 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement goals.

Modelling confirms NEG sabotages renewables

Greens climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today said that the latest modelling for the proposed ‘National Energy Guarantee’ confirms that the NEG sabotages investment in renewables.

“This modelling shows that the ‘NEG’ would come in like a wrecking ball to smash investment in renewables,” said Mr Bandt.

“According to the modelling, the NEG will only add an extra 1% of renewable capacity to 2030 compared with doing nothing at all.

Extreme weather report predicts massive damage, even without climate change

Greens climate change spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today commented on a report by the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities, which warned that the economic cost of extreme weather could reach $39 billion per year by 2050 – without considering any additional impact from climate change.

New Finkel report shows government renewables war is built on lies

Greens climate and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP says the new Finkel report on energy storage released today shows Malcolm Turnbull’s war on renewables is built on lies.

Mr Bandt said the report also highlights the need for the Greens’ policy of a national plan for energy storage, including a storage target and investment in the export opportunities of solar fuels.

International climate change conference in Bonn has barely begun, but Australia has already been crowned ‘fossil of the day’

Ahead of his visit to Bonn, Germany, for the UNFCCC climate change conference, Greens spokesperson for climate change and energy Adam Bandt MP provides the following comment on Australia being awarded the ‘Fossil of the Day’ award for its addiction to coal:

“With this government’s record on climate change and their unrelenting support for the giant Adani mine, they’d probably welcome this award as a badge of honour.