INVESTMENT in sustainable agriculture and recycling are priorities for the Mallee in achieving the renewable energy target of 20 per cent by 2020, federal member Andrew Broad has said.
Mr Broad said residents in the Mallee could expect a drive towards “research and development” of sustainable farming in an attempt to reach 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020, even though it was “a struggle” to source funding.
Mr Broad’s comments follow a meeting the minister held with members of the Mallee branch of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) last week.
While Mr Broad said he supported renewable energy, he said he voted against the carbon tax because it didn’t “work as a mechanism”.
He also cautioned against “rushing into wind turbine technology”.
AYCC Mallee convenor Travis Inmon said he and four others concerned about climate change had sat with Mr Broad for more than hour in discussion.
He said while they and the minister did not agree on every aspect of the climate change issue, it had been a positive meeting.
“I didn’t expect [Mr Broad] to come out of his policy line… we’re just going to keep him on his toes and keep reminding him that we’re here and young people around Australia demand action on climate change and on putting a price on carbon,” he said.
Mr Inmon said he and Mr Broad had disagreed about the ideal date to reach a renewable energy target and that the National Party’s support of coal and nuclear energy was “concerning”.
“We need to take on the technology that’s available to be able to buy a large scale solar farm at a cheaper rate, which will only come with investment in [renewable] technology,” he said.
“We talked a litte about renewable energy and funding opportunities for renewable energy. Mr Broad spoke a lot about wind but I feel solar is the way we need to go in the Mallee.”
But Mr Inmon and Mr Broad did agree on the need to support farmers who were innovating sustainable agricultural methods.
Mr Broad said there needed to be investment in research and development in agriculture and in recycling.
“We’re seeing a lot of country people — as in farmers — doing innovative stuff, yet they struggle for funding,” Mr Broad said.
“I think the idea that we can do nothing [about climate change] is not what the Australian people want. We can’t just scrap the carbon tax and walk away. Work needs to be done on the [Coalition’s proposed] direct action plan on climate change to make it better.”
But Mr Broad cautioned against some kinds of renewable energy technologies, saying a rush to innovate and prevent climate change could do more harm than good.
“We will meet 20 per cent by 2020, we’re not far off now,” he said.
“The danger is they’re rushing in and putting wind turbines where they’re not useful… We have a policy framework to allow for investment for renewables, but we need to make sure they’re not overly expensive.”
Mr Broad said he welcomed discussion and invited people to speak to him about the issues that mattered to them.
“My door’s always open — it’s great that we can have that conversation and see less protest and more discussion,” he said.
“It gives people the understanding that things aren’t as straightforward as they seem.”
