Budget 2008: Global Warming on the Back Burner
Looking through the budget, there seems to be little incentive for us, the voters, to do our bit for the environment.
The solar cell industry is in disarray.
Why?They have little or no incentive to continue to improve and market their product.
Who can they market to?
In the 2007 budget the Howard Government doubled the rebate for Solar Panels to $8000.
As a result the Solar Industry flourished.
Figures from the Australian Greenhouse Office showed a 500 % rise in rates of installation of grid-connected
solar panels within three months of that increase.
As a result the industry became more competitive, technology improved, and prices came down.
As yet, solar power cannot replace conventional power from coal fired power stations.
But at the time of day when Australia's coal plants are straining to power air-conditioners, solar systems are at their peak output.
Furthermore, when people are not at home using energy, those solar panels actually put electricity back into the grid.
Over the past four or five months, more than 900 Australian households each month have been signing up for solar rooftops.
Regrettably last week, the industry went into free fall.
Businesses are facing closure, staff cuts of 50% or more are widespread, and skilled, intelligent solar power installers
will be re-employed in less visionary jobs as households cancel their orders.
Some installers may be lost to the 45 countries that have sensible solar power laws.
According to this year's budget, you can apply for a solar cell rebate of up to $8,000 if your family income is less then $100,000 per annum provided you have the additional $5,500 to avail yourself of those solar panels.
Of course everyone earning less than $100,000 and confronted on a daily basis by the task of finding money for fuel, food, rent and/or mortgage,
has a spare $5,500 lying around waiting for home improvements.
With one stroke of the pen, Mr Swan has reduced the solar installations from 900 per month to a mere 266.
In the budget papers he claims up to 6000 households will get the solar panels this year, but simple arithmetic shows that $8,000 goes into 25.6 Million only 3200 times.
He in fact the treasure reduced this year's budget for the solar panel rebate from 28.8 million to 25.6, to "meet the increased demand for household rebates under the Solar
Homes and Communities Plan, formerly known as the Photovoltaic Rebate Program."
New Math treasurer?
Renewable energy, such as geothermal, a technology that is ready to go right now, has lost its funding.
On the other hand, Clean Coal (which, lets face it, is an oxymoron as coal, is never clean!) has an increase in funding
($500.0 million over 8 years, including $20.0 million for the "Australia-China Clean Coal Co-ordination Group").
Could this possibly be politically biased, as the coal industry has a powerful lobby, with a strong and determined union?
Could it be that the coal industry, making billions, needs the money?
Water Tanks:
You can get $500.00 rebate for a rainwater tank, but forget the plumbing.Energy Rating Labels:
Money will be been spent on expanding the current 6-star Energy Rating Label to a 10-star system on our white goods.
The government believes we do not understand that 3 out of 5 is the same as 6 out of 10.
Perhaps they are correct, as education reform would be far too expensive.
I am sure though they have a plan, a good plan, a plan for the future, a committee or an inquiry.
But they better get a wriggle-on as Climate Change is now a global emergency.
Nevertheless I can rest peacefully feeling warm and fuzzy that the new freezer, which I can’t afford, will have 6 stars, instead of 3, on the sticker on the front!!
To add insult to injury they used 19,000 kilos of paper to print the budget papers.
I will remind my children of this when he asks me to explain to my grand children what a forest is, sorry, was.
Compare the Green, Rudd Budget to the Costello Budget from last year.
Bear in mind, the coalition were "Climate Change" skeptics:
(Budget Papers 2008) Over the period 2008 - 2011
Total expenditure = 17.6 Million Dollars
(Rudd Government)
(Budget Papers 2007) Over the same period 2008 - 2011
Total expenditure = 87.5 Million Dollars
(Howard Government)