Page 462 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 February 2020
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Ms Le Couteur mentioned this in the recent MPI on cost of living. One of the great things about taking steps to combat and prepare for climate change is that these steps also reduce costs for members of our community. For example, houses that are built to be efficient and keep out the heat from rising temperatures are also houses that are cheaper to operate, so they have lower energy bills. The Greens have emphasised this repeatedly and there is plenty of research that demonstrates it. Taking action on climate change is a net economic positive and, when done well, it is good for people’s cost of living.
Members will have seen the recent positive news that renewable electricity is predicted to reduce the average Canberra household’s electricity bill in the next year, on average by $113 per year. That is from the draft determination from the ICRC, who have made their proposal for next year’s standard energy prices. That is a 6.75 per cent reduction or 8.1 per cent in real terms. The reasons for that are a bit complicated. The increase in renewable generation capacity in Australia has reduced the cost of national green schemes, as well as wholesale energy purchase costs. But the point remains that making the switch to renewables is good for both the environment and people’s hip pockets.
I find the actions of the Liberal Party disappointing and disingenuous because by opposing climate change action they are also opposing measures that will improve the cost of living for Canberrans. The Liberal Party might say they support climate change action because they recognise that that is what the Canberra community wants. But their actions constantly belie those statements. When the government released its new climate change strategy, the Liberal Party attacked it and went to some lengths to wage a disinformation campaign.
They have made false and deceptive claims that “the government will ban cars” or that it will “disconnect your gas”. This is simply a diversion from the real policy issues of climate change and fairness, and these are tests which the Liberal Party fail. It also fails to recognise that reaching zero net emissions––a policy they claim to support––actually requires phasing out fossil fuels like gas and changing Canberra’s transport patterns.
While the Liberal Party make occasional platitudes about believing in climate change or about caring for financially disadvantaged Canberrans, they are actually wolves in sheep’s clothing. Their actions reveal their true ideology. They will make accusations or speak in platitudes, but the real commitment to helping vulnerable Canberrans is not there.
The last issue I want to mention is Mr Coe’s campaign about freezing rates and other taxes, as if this is a panacea for financial hardship. It is not: it is actually a ruse. Firstly, in freezing rates and taxes, Mr Coe is promising to freeze the government’s revenue, even as the population in Canberra grows and the need for services increases. The question then is: which services will be cut to pay for this? Public transport? Hospital beds? Rangers? Environmental programs? Perhaps all of the above. The community deserves these answers, because you cannot cut revenue and not cut services. There is no magic pudding. I call on the Canberra Liberals to be absolutely transparent about this as we head towards October’s polling day.
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