Dithers on renewables

renewable energy resources through investment in Woolnorth Wind Farm in the North-West and Musselroe Wind Farm in the North-East.

The latter generates 168 megawatts of energy annually — enough to power 50,000 households, according to Hydro Tasmania — and preventing 450,000 tons of carbon dioxide from polluting our atmosphere every year.

With assets worth more than $5 billion, Hydro Tasmania employs more than 1100 Tasmanians and is now the largest producer of renewable energy in Australia. It generates nearly half the country’s extant renewable energy and exports electricity to the national grid through the Basslink connector between Tasmania and Victoria.

Tasmania truly is the jewel in Australia’s renewable energy industry. The transition from fossil fuelbased energy to renewable energy is accelerating now.

Australia will not get the stable energy policy it needs as long as energy policy remains the subject of internal ideological Coalition disputes.

Three quarters of Australia’s thermal electricity generation fleet is operating beyond its design life.

Critical energy infrastructure needs to be replaced — and the cheapest, cleanest source of new power is renewable energy. When backed by pumped hydro, batteries or peaking gas generation, renewables can deliver secure energy 24/7.

Labor has a comprehensive plan to address Australia’s energy future, with a target to achieve 50 per cent of Australia’s energy from renewable sources by 2030 at its core. Our renewables target will boost private investment in Australia by nearly $50 billion. It will put downward pressure on power bills and is estimated to create nearly 30,000 new jobs.

Labor will return Australia, a country with the best solar and wind resources in the world, to being a leading renewable energy economy.

We will make Australia into a renewable energy superpower, and Tasmania will be at the centre.

That is why Labor committed to a second interconnector at the last election. A second connector would enable Tasmania to be the renewable powerhouse of the nation, providing jobs and a boost to our economy.

So this is my challenge to the Prime Minister: start working on a solution to the energy crisis instead of prolonging this sorry mess for another decade. Lisa Singh is a Labor senator for Tasmania.