Australian Voters Not Buying Government’s Renewable Energy Bulls**t
Despite underhanded and erroneous attempts by certain parts of the Australian government, not to mention efforts by the country’s coal and gas industries, public support for renewable energy remains high, according to new polling published this week.
New polling, conducted by independent think-tank The Australia Institute, found that 67% of Australians believe the country is moving into renewable energy too slowly, including 35% who responded by saying the country was moving “much too slowly.” Only 9% of the 1420-person representative sample of Australians thought the country was moving “too fast.” In fact, the poll found that a majority from every state and of voters from all parties said the move was happening too slowly.
Further, 77% of respondents support a state renewable energy target to provide extra renewable energy in their state — which included 35% of respondents who strongly supported such a target. Again, there was more than 70% support for a state renewable energy target over all gender, state, and voting categories — highlighting the bipartisan (tripartisan?) and widely public support for renewable energy, in complete dismissal of the current Liberal Government’s attempts to convince the country otherwise.
“The war on renewables looks like the political version of the Somme,” said Ben Oquist, Executive Director of The Australia Institute. “Furious attacks have not made any ground on the popularity of renewable energy.”
“As prices for renewables and battery storage tumble, clean energy options continue to look better economically and politically.”
52% of respondents supported increasing the current federal Renewable Energy Target for 2020, and 26% said they were content with it at its current level of 23.5%. Only 9% wanted to reduce it. Additionally, 73% are in support of setting a new renewable energy target for 2030 — with support highest in Queensland (80%), and 69% of Coalition (Liberal and National Party coalition) voters, and 66% of One Nation (don’t ask) voters supporting a higher 2030 target.
The kicker — for anyone in Australia sick and tired of the current Prime Minister’s attitude towards renewable energy — is that 55% of Australians rate Malcom Turnbull as “poor” on renewable energy and climate change, including 39% of Coalition voters, 59% of One Nation voters, and 58% of Other/Independent voters.
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