Australia will be better off when Peter Dutton and David Littleproud lead the nation and continue telling the truth about Labor’s failing and destructive renewable energy rush, the Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster MP says.

“This week the Leader of the Opposition has declared the Coalition will not support Labor’s 2030 renewable energy targets because they are fanciful – they cannot be reached. Australians need a Federal Government that will tell the truth about the rush into renewables, and the genuine cost to households and communities,” Dr Webster said.

“The Prime Minister has not released the modelling on the renewable rollout’s true cost. He has not delivered on the permanent $275 power bill reduction voters were promised 97 times before the last election. A one-off $300 discount over 4 quarters of 2024/5 simply doesn’t cut it.

The Albanese Labor Government’s renewable energy target is 82 per cent by 2030, yet the current deployment is around 35 per cent and is forecast to reach maybe 60 per cent by 2030.

The Federal and Victorian Labor Governments both recently backflipped on the role that gas will play in the energy transition, while New South Wales Labor government has extended the operation of coal-fired power to keep the lights on.

“In Mallee, the divisive roll-out of hundreds of kilometres of the VNI-West transmission line and myriad wind turbine proposals is stirring bad blood in local farming communities who are at the pointy end of Labor’s political and unachievable 82 per cent renewables rollout target,” Dr Webster added.

“The Coalition is committed to a net zero energy mix by 2050, which could include nuclear energy – if the business case and local community support is there in former coal-fired power station sites already connected to transmission networks.

“The Albanese Labor Government, in cahoots with the Allan Victorian Labor government targeting 95 per cent renewables by 2035, will railroad Mallee farmers and communities into copping huge transmission towers, power lines, solar panels and wind turbines across prime farming land.”

In 2022, Labor increased Australia’s commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 43 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, an 82 per cent target for grid-connected renewable electricity by 2030 and introducing a vehicle efficiency standard.

“However, despite 2,000 electric vehicles arriving in Melbourne per month, sales have bottomed out and the resale market is non-existent, further scuttling Labor’s political climate targets