4 years ago
SCATHING TAKE DOWN OF ANGUS TAYLOR
MARK BUTLER MP
This morning on AM, when asked about the growing concerns about his lack of energy policy Energy Minister Angus Taylor said, “I haven’t heard those frustrations.”
The Minister only had to listen into RN Breakfast for another hour to hear a scathing takedown of his inability to address the energy crisis, which has seen power prices soar and investor confidence smashed.
HAMISH MACDONALD:Is the Minister having a sensible conversation?
KANE THORNTON (CEO CLEAN ENERGY COUNCIL):Look unfortunately at the moment there isn’t a conversation about a genuine energy policy over the next couple of decades… there are a range of options but none of them seem to be genuinely considered at the moment.
That is obviously frustrating and concerning for the outlook of the renewable energy industry but more importantly for energy prices and reliability because what we know is old coal generation is coming out, there is an inevitability about that, and if we don’t ensure we get a steady flow of new generation coming into the market then reliability will be under threat and power prices are going to go up.
MACDONALD:I just want to come back to something you said then because it may surprise some listeners – you are saying there is no conversation with the Minister about this stuff?
THORNTON: We’ve heard the Minister this morning, he’s comfortable with the current policy settings which we obviously don’t agree with and I think there is growing concern across the industry that we don’t have any sort of energy policy and to be frank we’re not having a mature conversation at the moment about even the need for that policy let alone the different forms that could be taken.
I think this is something we have heard increasingly from state and territory energy ministers, of all political persuasions, expressing their concern about the lack of long-term, stable energy policy.
So unfortunately it is not something being progressed by the Government at the moment but there is a growing voice of people that are concerned about that and are calling for a more genuine discussion about future energy policy.
MACDONALD: That’s just scathing!
THORNTON: Look it’s frustrating and it’s challenging and at the end of the day we need some sort of energy policy over the next couple of decades. There are going to be some very serious ramifications if this issue don’t get sorted out.
The Minister only had to listen into RN Breakfast for another hour to hear a scathing takedown of his inability to address the energy crisis, which has seen power prices soar and investor confidence smashed.
HAMISH MACDONALD:Is the Minister having a sensible conversation?
KANE THORNTON (CEO CLEAN ENERGY COUNCIL):Look unfortunately at the moment there isn’t a conversation about a genuine energy policy over the next couple of decades… there are a range of options but none of them seem to be genuinely considered at the moment.
That is obviously frustrating and concerning for the outlook of the renewable energy industry but more importantly for energy prices and reliability because what we know is old coal generation is coming out, there is an inevitability about that, and if we don’t ensure we get a steady flow of new generation coming into the market then reliability will be under threat and power prices are going to go up.
MACDONALD:I just want to come back to something you said then because it may surprise some listeners – you are saying there is no conversation with the Minister about this stuff?
THORNTON: We’ve heard the Minister this morning, he’s comfortable with the current policy settings which we obviously don’t agree with and I think there is growing concern across the industry that we don’t have any sort of energy policy and to be frank we’re not having a mature conversation at the moment about even the need for that policy let alone the different forms that could be taken.
I think this is something we have heard increasingly from state and territory energy ministers, of all political persuasions, expressing their concern about the lack of long-term, stable energy policy.
So unfortunately it is not something being progressed by the Government at the moment but there is a growing voice of people that are concerned about that and are calling for a more genuine discussion about future energy policy.
MACDONALD: That’s just scathing!
THORNTON: Look it’s frustrating and it’s challenging and at the end of the day we need some sort of energy policy over the next couple of decades. There are going to be some very serious ramifications if this issue don’t get sorted out.