Fewer than one in 10 people would back any move by the Abbott
government to wind back Australia's 20 per cent Renewable Energy Target. An annual survey by the Climate Institute found more than 70
per cent of respondents supported an RET of 20 per cent or more by 2020.
The RET mandates that 20 per cent of power will be derived
from renewable sources such as solar and wind power by the end of the
decade. It was enshrined in law as part of Labor's carbon tax package. But it has become a flashpoint inside the Coalition, with
Environment Minister Greg Hunt, a supporter of the RET, under pressure
from Coalition hardheads to wind it back to boost energy-intensive
industriessuch as aluminium manufacturing. A group of nearly 20 Coalition MPs has formed to agitate
against the RET, and a review by businessman Dick Warburton, a climate
sceptic, is due to be handed to government within weeks.
It is expected to give further impetus to the push against the target. A recent report by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry and the Business Council of Australia, conducted by Deloitte
Access Economics, found the RET would cost the Australian economy $34
billion, leading to the loss of 4900 full-time jobs by 2020. But the Climate Institute survey, conducted by JWS Research,
which interviewed 1145 people, found strong support for renewable
energy. It found that 60 per cent of people would favour an RET higher than 20 per cent by the end of the decade. The percentage of people who backed an RET of 20 per cent and above rose from 69 per cent in 2013 to 71 per cent this year. While 20 per cent of respondents could not say one way or
another, just 9 per cent wanted to see a cut in the target or its
scrapping.
Participants were asked to consider the statement:
''Opponents of the scheme say the Renewable Energy Target is a subsidy
that drives up electricity bills, while supporters say it has created
jobs and tripled Australia's wind and solar energy since 2009.'' Eight in 10 people said they preferred renewable energy to power sourced from coal, gas and nuclear. Climate Institute chief executive John Connor said public
support for renewables had held up despite the prevailing political and
business opposition to the sector.
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