Advocacy group Parents for Climate says the results of a candidate pledge it has circulated in the lead up to the election show the Coalition as disappointingly weak on its support for solar and home batteries - hugely popular policies supported by the Senate Residential Electrification Inquiry.
The pledge was sent to all candidates in the weeks prior to polling. It reads, “If elected, I will work to reduce the cost of energy and protect homes, schools and early childhood centres from extreme heat by supporting access to cheap energy powered by solar and batteries.”
At the time of writing, only two Liberal party candidates had pledged, compared to eight from right wing party Trumpet of Patriots.
CEO Nic Seton said Parents for Climate always tried hard to work with all sides of politics, and had hoped more Coalition candidates would have pledged their support for more permanent cost saving energy solutions.
“It’s in families’ interests that there’s bipartisan support for common-sense solutions like rooftop solar and batteries that cut living costs, because we don’t want support to chop and change with every election. We’ve secured support from almost 400 candidates, but we’re left wondering what happened to the Coalition's household energy plans.
“It’s no surprise that Greens, Labor and independents have backed our pledge. But it is surprising that more candidates further to the right of the Coalition have pledged support for household solar and batteries than candidates from the Coalition itself.”
“The Coalition promised support for home batteries, assuring us they’d announce a competing policy soon. We took that in good faith, but with only days left before polling day, where is the policy?”
Currently 398 candidates from a total of 19 political parties have pledged their support for increasing access to rooftop solar and home batteries to cut the cost of living.
ENDS
Media contacts: Nic Seton, CEO Parents for Climate: 0407 638 973, [email protected]
BACKGROUND
- Parents for Climate candidate pledge: https://www.parentsforclimate.org/candidate_pledge
- 50 images of candidates holding signed pledges: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPg1pMQoPP3Z_cr3-i_XJtervxFqx_KRWrTF_WUGUTuauY14X08xPrq2Dv3xee5TA?key=bnQyeXFWSkR1Q054VzFESllOc29nZlVWYzVpQUJ3
Pledges from conservative candidates
|
Party |
Candidate |
Electorate |
|
Australian Citizens Party |
Max Hooper |
Moreton (QLD) |
|
Family First Party |
Kirsten Sands |
Brisbane (QLD) |
|
Steven Price |
Kingston (SA) |
|
|
Liberal Party |
Bridget Archer MP |
Bass (TAS) |
|
Gisele Kapterian |
Bradfield (NSW) |
|
|
Liberal National Party |
Maggie Forrest |
Ryan (QLD) |
|
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation |
Darren Nugent |
Senate (NT) |
|
Robert Stuckey |
Greenway (NSW) |
|
|
Trumpet of Patriots |
Amanda Paliouras |
Menzies (VIC) |
|
Antonio Rea |
Senate (SA) |
|
|
David Sarikaya |
Reid (NSW) |
|
|
Gabrial Pennicott |
Wide Bay (QLD) |
|
|
Gary Williamson |
Bowman (QLD) |
|
|
Laury Hendrik Bais |
Grey (SA) |
|
|
Peter Greenland |
Forrest (WA) |
|
|
Phillip Byron Peterkin |
Richmond (NSW) |
All parties with one or more candidate pledges
|
Party |
pledged |
declined |
no response |
|
Animal Justice |
12 |
1 |
16 |
|
Australia’s Voice |
3 |
0 |
2 |
|
Australian Citizens Party |
1 |
1 |
24 |
|
Australian Democrats |
6 |
0 |
0 |
|
Family First |
2 |
3 |
59 |
|
FUSION |
4 |
1 |
12 |
|
Greens |
155 |
0 |
20 |
|
HEART Party |
2 |
1 |
5 |
|
Independent |
51 |
0 |
32 |
|
Indigenous - Aboriginal Party of Australia |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Labor |
79 |
1 |
101 |
|
Legalise Cannabis |
40 |
0 |
0 |
|
Liberal |
2 |
0 |
132 |
|
Liberal National |
1 |
1 |
27 |
|
Pauline Hanson's One Nation |
2 |
2 |
153 |
|
Socialist Alliance |
8 |
0 |
4 |
|
Sustainable Australia |
16 |
0 |
0 |
|
Trumpet of Patriots |
8 |
2 |
78 |
|
Victorian Socialists |
5 |
0 |
0 |
Parties with zero pledges
- Australian Christians
- Better Together
- Centre Alliance
- Country Liberal
- Duke Wong
- Gerard Rennick People First
- Great Australian
- Katter's Australian Party
- Libertarian Party
- National Party
- Shooters, Fishers and Farmers
- Tasmania Now
- The Great Australian Party
- United Australia Party
ABOUT PARENTS FOR CLIMATE
Parents for Climate is Australia’s leading climate advocacy organisation for parents, carers, families and all who care about a safe future for kids, representing over 20,000 parents. Parents for Climate has been at the forefront of securing renewable energy in schools, such as the NSW Smart Energy School Pilot Project. Founded in 2019 by six regional, rural and urban mums in four states and territories, Parents for Climate is a parent organisation, run by parents for parents. Parents for Climate exists to secure ambitious climate action for the love of our kids.