Brunswick Labor.net

 A Victorian Government seed grant of $50 million will help deliver the world’s largest photovoltaic (PV) solar power station to be built in northern Victoria, in a win for the state’s environment, innovation and economy.

The decision by TRUenergy to invest $290 million in renewable energy company Solar Systems to build the 154MW solar power station has been welcomed by the Brumby Government. Construction is due to begin in 2009, once the site has been finalised.

CERES Community Environment Park has received a $180,000 Eco Living Grant from the Victorian Government to refurbish the CERES EcoHouse and empower the community to respond to climate change.

CERES will be one of seven Eco Living Centres will be developed across the state for local residents to experience sustainability in action and learn how to apply sustainable measures at home.

With this funding, the CERES EcoHouse will be better placed to support the community by providing local programs and encouraging individuals to take action on climate change in their everyday lives.

More than 90 bills were considered in Parliament this year and 74 bills were passed, as the Victorian Government got to work on implementing its election promises and continued to set the agenda for the future on important issues like the environment.

Parliament has passed a number of key bills in 2007, ensuring that Victoria continued to lead Australia in a number of areas. These include:

• The Victorian Energy Efficiency Bill, which will introduce energy efficiency targets for energy retailers to meet and will provide incentives for homeowners to save energy;
• The Infertility Treatment Bill – keeping Victoria at the forefront of medical research by allowing scientists to carry out stem cell research and to continue to pioneer new medical treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s;
  
• Increasing the assistance for Victims of crime and increasing sentences for a number of offences, including possessing a prohibited or controlled weapon;
  
• Strengthening the laws on DNA and enabling use of a national database;
  

Coburg will become Australi's seventh Solar City if Labor is elected on November 24 thanks to a commitment by Labor's Environment Spokesperson, Peter Garret.

Visiting the CERES Environment Park with local candidate Kelvin Thomson, Mr. Garrett said Coburg woudl join Adelaide, Townsville, Blacktown, Alice Springs, Perth and Central Victoria as a solar community.
Coburg Solar Village will model and fast track solar innovations and efficiencies directly assisting low and fixed income residents.

 
The credibility of the Greens Party in Victoria is in tatters after its Upper House members voted down an important anti-nuclear law.

The Greens joined the Liberal, National and DLP members to vote against the Bracks Government’s Nuclear Plebiscite Bill.

The Bill would give Victorians a chance to express their views, through a referendum, on any move by the Howard Government to allow a nuclear power plant in Victoria.

In the recent State Election campaign the Bracks Labor Government rejected Howard's vision of a Nuclear Australia.

To help protect Victorians from the Howard Government imposing nuclear power on Victoria, the Bracks Labor Government has put forward amendments to the current law that outlaws nuclear activities in Victoria. In the future an amendment to permit nuclear power stations will require a plebiscite of the Victorian people before it is successful.

Below the fold is Carlo's speech on the issue.

Greens candidates in Gippsland are opposing wind farm developments, bringing into question their parties credability on climate change.

A few weeks ago Carlo Carli issued a challenge to the Greens in Brunswick to repudiate their candidates in Gippsland opposition to wind power.

According to Wednesday's Melbourne Times Cyndi Dawes has done just that and has split herself from her parties official position. She says,

"You can't do that [renewable energy] if you don't allow wind farms"

And at Wednesday nights candidates forum on energy she claimed the comments by Gippsland candidates were a gaffe.

Congratulations Cyndi. We look forward to your support in the community as Labor forges ahead in the next four years towards meeting our renewable energy target and reducing greenhouse emissions.

Labor’s plan for the energy sector has been released, outlining plans for new projects that will involve well over $3 billion of new investment and more than 1000 new jobs.

Click here for more on how Labor has a clear vision, unlike the Liberals and the Nationals who were not prepared to stand up to Canberra’s nuclear plan and how Labor supports clean coal and renewable energy to boost energy supplies and drive jobs growth.

A re-elected Labor Government will help families reduce greenhouse gas emissions from households by 10 per cent, and save householders $100 a year on their electricity bills.

We will also require energy retailers to help households achieve the new 10 per cent reduction target.

A Labor Government would continue to fight any attempts to bring nuclear power to Victoria.

The State Government has given approval for AGL to build Australia's largest wind farm.

The wind farm, at Macarthur in western Victoria, will have up to 183 turbines with a total capacity of 329 megawatts. The turbines will be spread across 55 square kilometres of predominantly cleared farm land about 32 kilometres north of Port Fairy.

The $600 million project will generate enough electricity to power almost 190,000 homes a year, or three times the number of houses in Geelong.

This important project is yet more evidence that the Bracks Government is taking climate change seriously and supporting the renewable energy industry as part of a package of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Victoria will become home to the world’s largest solar power station of its kind with an 800 hectare, 154 megawatt plant proposed for the state’s north-west.

Solar Systems Generation will build the largest photovoltaic and most efficient solar power station in the world generating electricity at one-sixth of the cost of conventional solar power. This uses technology known as Heliostat Concentrator Photovoltaic (HCPV) which uses mirrors to reflect the sun’s rays into a receiver that converts sunlight into energy.

The new solar station will supply enough pwoer to supply 45,000 homes.

Climate Change is real.

The Bracks Government is serious about combating the climate change crisis. Our energy, environment, planning and transport policies will improve Victoria’s sustainability.

One of our biggest challenges is energy.

In the United Kingdom the City of Manchester Sadium, home to Manchester City FC, will erect a wind turbine and become the world's first stadium powered by wind power.

And meanwhile the Victorian Greens have failed to place a link to their Energy Policy on their website, and their press release fails to mention wind power - confirming their puzzling opposition to wind power generation developments.

Only Labor supports wind power and has a coherent plan to build our renewable energy capacity.

The Greens claim that they support wind power.

But now another Greens candidate has revealed her opposition to Wind Farms.

Why are the Greens lining up with the Liberal Party, National Party and the dirty energy lobby?

The policy difference is now clear - only Labor is committed to Victoria's energy future being clean and renewable.

Is Victorian Labor the only political party who supports renewable energy and wind energy?

While John Howard is busy talking up nuclear power, and the Victorian Liberals have an anti wind farm policy, one would expect the Greens to line up behind Labor's mandatory renewable energy target and wind energy.

According to The Age today, Greens Energy Spokesperson Louis Delacretaz is quoted as saying the Greens would stop wind farms like that in Bald Hills in Gippsland.

The Victorian Greens have promised to stop the construction of wind farms opposed by local residents, despite their policies of supporting renewable energy.

The first wind farm on the Greens' hit list will be the $220 million Bald Hills wind farm in South Gippsland, which was controversially vetoed earlier this year by the Federal Government over a perceived threat to the endangered orange-bellied parrot.

By lining up with the Liberal Party, the National Party and the dirty energy industry the Greens have shown that they are not serious about renewable energy or building a sustainable renewable energy industry.

We agree with Environment Minister, John Thwaites, who said, "This demonstrates that the Bracks Government has much stronger environmental credentials than the Greens."