Trouncing of 'Australia's Trump' spells relief for renewables
Election outcome follows months of negative campaigning by opposition
A decisive election victory for Australia’s pro-renewables Labor Party gave green power – and offshore wind in particular – reason to cheer in a key global growth market.
Incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese scored a convincing win in an Australian federal election in which renewables found itself used as a key ‘culture wars’ issue by opposition Liberal-National coalition leader Peter Dutton.
By the end of Sunday Labor was comfortably ahead of the 76 seats it needed to retain a majority and it was clear it was heading for a landslide.
Dutton’s Donald Trump-like tirades against offshore wind unsettled investors considering giant projects under Australia’s fledgling licensing programme.
Albanese’s trouncing of Dutton prompted calls for Australia to go harder and faster into green power after what the country’s Clean Energy Council labelled a “referendum on renewables”.
“It’s now time to leave the politics behind and get on with the job of rolling out renewable energy to deliver affordable and reliable power for all Australians,” said CEO Kane Thornton.
“We look forward to working with the Albanese Government and the next Australian Parliament to ensure strong, stable and effective policy for the transition to clean energy” he said.
Australia’s Climate Council said: Australians from our cities and regions want to keep building more wind, solar and storage – and made this clear at the ballot box. A steep swing towards Labor, delivering what is expected to be their largest majority since World War 2, represents a resounding endorsement of Australia’s current plan for renewable power.”
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