Policy recommendations

Australia’s clean energy resources are the envy of the world.

At the dawn of a new decade and in response to the profound economic impact of COVID-19, Australia has the opportunity to exploit its natural advantages to bring down the cost of electricity for households and businesses and position the country as the natural home of energy-intensive industries in the Asia Pacific.

Clean energy can create thousands of new jobs, empower consumers, bring economic activity to regional communities, lower power prices and create the smart infrastructure of the future that can cement Australia’s place as a global clean energy superpower.

Yet while there has been massive investment in clean energy projects over the past five years, this investment has slowed dramatically since 2019 due to the expiry of the Renewable Energy Target, lower electricity prices, the inadequacy of Australia’s transmission network and significant barriers to grid connection.

The long-term fundamentals of investment in clean energy remain strong and compelling, and the current circumstances highlight the need for a strong and coordinated strategy to better manage the transition to a clean energy system and unlock the enormous potential at hand.

Strong government leadership is crucial to manage the transition and facilitate private investment in low-cost clean energy, turbo-charging economic activity and job creation across Australia and accelerating our transition to becoming a clean energy superpower.

The result of extensive consultation with the Federal Government and the Federal Opposition, the Clean Energy Council has developed the Roadmap for a Renewable Energy Future: Federal Election policy recommendations.

Leading in to the next Federal Election, the roadmap document provides a comprehensive plan for Australia to source 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030 as we aim for a net-zero future.

This can be achieved through the following nine key elements:

1. Electrify Australia: power the Australian economy and industry with wind, solar, hydro, bioenergy and battery storage.
2. Empower customers and communities to make the switch to clean energy.
3. Build a strong, smart, 21st-century electricity network.
4. Maximise the creation of quality clean energy jobs and a local supply chain.
5. Provide greater support and certainty for coal communities and industry as the phase-out of coal generation accelerates.
6. Modernise Australia’s energy market and its governance for the clean energy transformation.
7. Turbo-charge clean energy innovation.
8. Decarbonise Australian industries using clean energy.
9. Put Australia on a path to becoming a global clean energy superpower that exports renewable energy to Asia and beyond.