The Australian Renewable Energy Agency Is Being Called To Be Abolished by The Institute of Public Affairs

The notorious right wing think tank that had a huge influence on the Abbott era and still looks influential to the Turnbull government has renewed its call for the termination of hundreds of government agencies and arguing that they slow down economic growth as reported by Clean Technica. 

The call focuses on health and transport agencies, as well as climate change and clean energy agencies are the primary targets of the IPA. The institute still refuse to accept the facts and science of climate change and whose conservative views rump up the coalition. The agenda includes the disbandment of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Clean Energy Regulator, the Clean Energy Finance Corp and the Climate Change Authority. They also said that these agencies only survived because of the Senate obstruction and other political considerations. They also added that these agencies imposes excessive financial and red tape costs upon the energy sector.

Advocates of renewable energy have argued that ARENA is a grant funding agency that allocates money in helping with renewable projects. Any engagement form the private sector is entirely voluntary and the private sector does so because they would like government money to go and help in developing pre-commercial clean energy technologies. They also added that what ARENA represent is progress towards new technologies and change, which the IPA seems to oppose to.

Two of Australia’s leading solar researchers namely Martin Green of UNSW and Andrew Blakers of ANU have revived their call to stop the coalition’s move to defund ARENA. They say that doing so will wipe out solar research in Australia. Australia is considered a world leader in renewable energy for decades and contributed billions of dollars to the economy.

Still, the IPA is pretty determined to have its way and abolish such agencies. They have expresses annoyance and disappointment that 400 agencies were created during the Rudd-Gilliard era and are still in place with nearly half of them having policy involvement within the federal regulatory system.

Click here to read the full story on Clean Technica