THIS coming Tuesday February 6, Canberra is set to be the stage for opposing sides of the energy debate as a sizeable crowd is expected to descend on the nation’s capital in a protest dubbed ‘Rally Against Reckless Renewables’.
A long list of serving ministers and senators are expected to speak to the crowd arriving from many rural areas across the nation, including former deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, Bob Katter, Pauline Hanson and Gerrard Rennick – however, the progressive political organisation GetUp was planning to provide a counter presence and was sending out its own calls for fundraising to its members and supporters.
The timing was chosen to be the first sitting day of Parliament, and organisers have said they were “representing many diverse regional communities who are directly and adversely affected by the Australian Government’s reckless rollout of ‘renewables’.”
But GetUp have said they “have a plan to crash Barnaby’s anti-renewables rally and combat their lies with mobile billboards roaming around Parliament House at the exact same time”.
‘Reckless Renewables’ have said they were concerned with the over 1000 new energy projects as “almost all of those are located in regional Australia” and accused the Federal Government of running “short, insincere, and unacknowledged community consultation”.
“Exploiting the fact that most of these projects are located in or near coastal, farming, and traditional communities with small populations, the government continues to disregard our concerns,” the statement said.
“In many cases, our right to judicial review or appeal has or will be removed.”
GetUp has said it was concerned about “dangerous rhetoric” and has asked for donations for the signage as “billboards don’t come cheap” at $12 each.
“As we saw in the referendum, disinformation can be a potent force for vested interests – and it’s clear the hard-right has shifted their focus to renewable energy,” they said.
“And we know the narrative they’re peddling is full of lies.
“Thanks to rooftop solar, solar farms, wind, hydro and battery storage, green energy has generated 42 per cent of the country’s energy over the last month. And it’s driving down wholesale electricity prices – and climate pollution.
“We need to push back on Barnaby and the hard-right’s anti-renewables disinformation before their lies become mainstream. Rather than cheap clean energy, they’re pushing polluting coal and gas, and dangerous, expensive nuclear.”
The rally’s organisers have stated three aims of the rally, first calling on the government to run a senate inquiry “to scrutinise the technical veracity as well as the excessive economic, social and environmental costs of ‘renewables’, and the escalating risks to our national interest and security.”
They have also called for the suspension of all renewables projects and lift the ban on nuclear energy.
“Nuclear energy has the lowest overall greenhouse gas emissions of any energy source as a result of its low land footprint, low material usage, and low waste output,” they said.
“The current ban is archaic, restraining Australia from achieving a strong reliable energy future.”
Rally media coordinator, Sandra Bourke said they were already expecting thousands of people from a “diverse range” of 116 community groups including conservationists and farmers “from as far away as Far North Queensland and country Victoria”.
“We’re a group of country and coastal communities who are trying to say that the rate and siting of renewables is trashing the environment and trashing our economy,” she said.
“We’re asking the government to do a reset.”
