MEDIA RELEASE | 12 October 2023
Household electrification powered by renewable energy must be at the centre of plans to propel NSW towards a zero carbon economy, following the Minns Government’s necessary decision to legally enshrine emissions reduction targets of 50% by 2030 and net zero by 2050 in New South Wales.
“This legislative commitment by the NSW government marks a solid step forward in our collective fight against global heating,” Dan Cass, Executive Director of Rewiring Australia said. “To truly pivot towards a sustainable future, household electrification must be central to this strategy. Electrification is the rapid, cost-effective and proven path to significantly cut emissions while permanently slashing energy bills.”
Climate change legislation to be introduced today establishes a Net Zero Commission, where a panel of experts will monitor and drive progress. Mr Cass said it was critically important that the panel members have experience and knowledge of clean energy, investment, technology innovation and public policy. Reserve bank-style independence was also necessary to ensure honest feedback and a focus beyond the electoral cycle.
Mr Cass said a live dashboard outlining the pipeline and progress of renewable energy projects should be established for the new commission. This would include metrics for the amount of money invested at a household and industry level, the number of fully electrified homes with solar panels, as well as a measure of the carbon abated and process delivering regulatory reform and workforce development.
“The Commission should provide independent expertise and steady long term vision to critique government policies beyond the limitations of the electoral cycle. It’s crucial that it includes comprehensive plans for household electrification and that it is wholly independent.
“The energy market we have right now was designed for heavily polluting coal and gas. The Commission must drive a new framework that empowers households and businesses and industry to generate, store, and share clean electricity.
“We also need enhanced investment in community level infrastructure such as batteries, EV chargers and network upgrades.
“As we brace for more extreme and dangerous weather, the cost of inaction grows. The world cannot avoid climate disaster if the coal and gas industry keeps expanding. A credible independent commission must include in its reporting all the emissions that NSW enables through its exports and so called ‘scope 3’ emissions.”
