Opposition accused of failing to support wind farms and gas plants
Opposition leader Tony Abbott has been accused of failing to support wind farms and gas plants, despite the renewable energy sector having received billions of dollars in federal infrastructure funding.
Mr Abbott has called for wind farms to be built on marginal farms in marginal seats to help protect the rural and regional economy that is in danger of being damaged by competition from renewable energy projects.
But the Independent Wind Energy Association says that is a "scam".
The report from the organisation is based on wind farm developer Windrush, which has paid the Opposition more than $100,000 since 2010.
In 2012, the government made a commitment for $50m in infrastructure grants to help pay for "a set of national projects that will strengthen our national infrastructure".
According to the government's 2013 Infrastructure Report, "the projects announced by the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development in November 2009" included:
$40m in support for the East West Link to the Northern Powerhouse on the Murray-Darling Basin to strengthen regional interconnectivity, improve electricity supply and enhance Australia's energy security
The $65m Southern Cross project to link the Central Coast to the Sunshine Coast through the Northern Powerhouse
$50m to construct the Northern Powerhouse Interconnector to improve interconnectivity with the existing Central Coast network
The $10m Nectar-Creek project to link South Australia to Northern Australia through a new gas station and the Goulburn gas-fired power station
$20m to construct the West Galilee Basin gas-fired power station, an alternative to coal power stations in South Australia
$25m to invest in an LNG terminal at the Port of Ballarat to generate an extra 30,000 tonnes of LNG
"This infrastructure initiative has already seen $50m spent in the 2013 Infrastructure Report but the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development has also stated that $20m to develop the West Galilee Basin gas-fired power station as well as the Nectar-Creek gas-fired power plant is still to be delivered," the IWEA's report said.
"Despite this commitment, the Government has delivered only $12m in federal funding for 'green' infrastructure projects that can help support new wind power projects."
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has previously said he would be happy to pay for wind farm projects, but the IWEA report says that's not the case.
"If we were to implement the Prime Minister's commitments of $50 million to assist wind farms in marginal and regional seats, we would need at least $70m for a total of $95m," it said.
A spokesperson for the government told the AB
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Hockeyroos close out nz series with 3rd win
The Hawks looked to have a game on its hands when they faced the nz series winners, the Sharks last week in San Jose. Although we know this series as the first game since January 14th will be in Vancouver, I am happy that they were able to get another win today. We looked to be in quite a good position as the opening 30 minutes saw two goals go in. But after the Sharks came out hot, we didn't see any sign of it coming. We didn't seem to have an abundance of offensive weapons in the offensive zone, we just didn't create as many chances as we'd like to.
The Hawks seemed to find more success in transition. The Sharks, the most talented of the Sharks, did a great job creating their own chances and finding the back of the net. Unfortunately we just weren't able to find many chances of scoring. One goal was a penalty shot, two was a goal scored, three was a goal negated by interference. The Sharks did get to goal and did get one on goal, but they were just not in control in front of the net. The two leading scorers for the Sharks in the series, Chris Tierney and Shane Doan, have both had a negative impact on our offensive chances. Doan and Tierney both had 5-on-5 shooting attempts (and three of them were goals scored).
The Hawks were able to control the puck, but their power play just did not cut it. They did keep shots on net and made the best of it but their 4-on-4 shooting has been anemic this year. The Hawks were able to shut things down a lot but weren't able to stop the Sharks with the puck in their own zone. That said, the Hawks did not really get any chances to score. They did create a couple chances, but they simply couldn't find them. The Hawks were able to keep possession of the puck a bit longer, but it wasn't enough. The Sharks looked more dangerous on the road than tonight and were able to hold on and eventually lead 4-3.
The Sharks also hit the glass hard throughout this series. They were able to create plenty of scoring chances. The Hawks were able to slow things down a little bit and force turnovers, but they were unable to turn the puck over. The Sharks tried to make quick work of their zone start, but they couldn't find it. They didn't seem to be able to bring the puck over the blue line and put pressure on their forecheckers. The Hawks were able to control the puck as well as they've done in the playoffs. If it weren't for a couple good draws they'd have a 3-1 series lead. They've looke