The Greens have rebuked the Morrison government's plan to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on a gas plant announced the very same day that the International Energy Agency made it clear that a safe climate means no new fossil fuel projects, starting now.
In a separate attack on Australia's economy and climate, the government has quietly amended the ARENA rules to allow the renewables agency to invest in fossil fuels coal and gas.
Lines from Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP:
"On the same day the world's energy chiefs say Australia must immediately stop new coal and gas projects or risk climate catastrophe, Scott Morrison gives them the finger and announces a publicly-funded gas power station," Bandt said.
"This is a climate crime. Scott Morrison is spending public money on a junk investment that will make the climate crisis worse and push up power bills.
"The IEA is a conservative body, traditionally very pro-coal and gas, but they're recommending Australia gets out of coal-fired power by 2030. The Greens agree, and in the balance of power after the next election, we'll kick the Liberals out and use this report to push Labor to phase out coal and gas.
"The IEA are calling fossil fuel projects "junk investments". The experts have said that the Kurri Kurri gas-fired power station is unnecessary, more expensive than renewables and batteries, and that it will become a stranded asset, all while cooking the planet and killing investment and jobs in renewable energy. The only winners are Morrison's billionaire fossil fuel buddies.
"The Liberals are spending your money on a loser project because they take donations from coal and gas corporations and they're mates with the owner of the site."
"This new gas power station won't go ahead because people will stop it. The Greens will fight this tooth and nail."
Santos has donated more than half a million dollars to the Coalition and now its former executive David Knox is in charge of using Snowy to build a gas plant reliant on a nearby Santos gas mine. A Liberal donor, self described as "a walking ATM" for the Liberal party, owns the land of the proposed Kurri Kurri site.
ARENA
"Coal & gas are not renewable, but the Liberals are now trying to use Australia's Renewable Energy Agency to funnel public funds allocated for renewable technologies into coal and gas corporations.
"The Greens will move to block this latest rort when Parliament resumes. We will move to disallow the regulations. We hope Labor and others will back us."
