Australia has a long history of prioritising fossil fuels over renewables in research and development (R&D) funding. ARENA turned this around, making Australia a world leader in renewables. Government plans to cut ARENA’s funding while providing new funds for fossil fuel R&D risks putting Australia back decades in energy R&D.
There is strong public support for ARENA. There was a clear majority against passing the cuts in every state.
[ TAI – September 12, 2016 ]