Australia’s solar industry has warned it will campaign against the Coalition in the lead up to the next federal election after an agreement was finally reached to cut the renewable energy target to 33,000 gigawatt hours.



The Coalition and Labor came largely to terms on the future of the RET on Monday after months of intense wrangling. The political deadlock has prompted an investment strike in the renewables sector.

To close the deal, the Abbott government dumped a demand that the RET be reviewed every two years – a non-negotiable condition Labor put in the discussions. But the government is persisting with a plan that would allow the burning of native forest waste to count towards the RET.

Labor made it clear on Monday it would not support that element of the RET resolution when it comes back to parliament next week. The wood waste measure is expected to be presented to parliament in regulations. Labor says it will oppose the regulations in both houses.

But the government will press on regardless, seeking crossbench support for the wood waste burning measure.

“I am confident, without presuming, that the Senate will support it,” the environment minister, Greg Hunt, told reporters on Monday.

The RET saga began with a concerted effort by the Abbott government to wind back the renewable energy target shortly after taking office.

The government initially demanded the 41,000Gwh RET be slashed to 26,000Gwh. Labor dug its heels in, saying it would not accept a RET below 35,000Gwh.

Labor now says the new target is a floor and not a ceiling, and that the deal has been struck in order to get investment moving in renewables once again.

But Monday’s landing point has prompted the Australian Solar Council to warn the fight is not yet over.

Chief executive John Grimes says reducing the target to 33,000Gwh was an “act of political bastardry”.

“Our campaign is not going to stop,” Grimes told Guardian Australia. “What the government has shown is they can’t be trusted when it comes to renewables policy.”

“At every juncture [the Coalition] will seek to build in booby traps and other mechanisms to delay. It remains the case that this government is the most radically anti-solar government in the world today,” Grimes said.

“They don’t have a vision for Australia’s future and that position isn’t politically tenable. For as long as they hold that view, we will continue a pointed political campaign – and this will cost them massively electorally in the lead up to the next election.”

Grimes also told Guardian Australia the industry was now lobbying Labor to accept a policy of 50% renewables by 2030.

He said the solar industry was looking for the opposition to agree to a change of policy at its national conference in July. “We hope they are prepared to stand up early and call this, and not squib it.”

A spokeswoman for the shadow environment spokesman, Mark Butler, said Labor had already indicated 33,000Gwh was a floor and not a ceiling.

She said Labor would work in consultation with the industry on future changes to the RET post-2020 – and hoped to be in a position to unveil new policy either ahead of or at the national conference.