In our comments on the Coal-Fired Power Funding Prohibition Bill 2017, we argue that public investment in technologies that are driving climate change does not make sense, because:
a) The evidence of impacts of coal-fired power on the climate is unequivocal,
b) Australia has committed to addressing these impacts, and
c) Renewables are a better investment of public funds.
While it should not be necessary to legislate to prohibit contradictory policy decisions, in our view the proposed Bill would provide clarity on this issue, particularly in the absence of other effective regulatory mechanisms to drive a transition away from fossil fuels.
