Premier Campbell Newman has called for a Queensland election at the end of January – the question is, is he going pay the consequences for going against the 97% of voters of want more solar power?

According to the Australian Solar Council, “Campbell Newman has been the most anti-solar Premier in Australia’s history, writing the playbook for Tony Abbott’s assault on solar and renewable energy.” Despite being told by several surveys that the Australian voters want the renewable energy target maintained and even increased, they have continued to try and abolish it. The uncertainty alone is killing the industry, businesses are closing their doors and investments are moving overseas.

There have been no large-scale renewable energy projects constructed under the Newman Government. In fact, the Premier has tried to close down all clean energy bodies and organisations in operation. In addition they have tried to hit those households that have installed solar power with fixed fee charges to protect big energy companies profits.

Queensland has the second highest residential solar market penetration rate in Australia – 20 per cent. That is at least 20% of voters that will not have forgotten what Premier Newman has tried to do to their solar investments.

The Australian Solar Council CEO John Grimes also sees this election as a lesson for the Abbott Government. “The Abbott Government can be moved to a sensible position on solar and renewable energy by sending a very strong message through the Queensland election campaign, and that is precisely what the Australian Solar Council will be doing,” he said.

“We will support any political party that supports good solar policy and we will campaign strongly against any political party that is determined to destroy solar.”

We are the ‘Sunshine State’ and there is a great potential for solar power here. Queensland should be leading the world into a renewable revolution – we have an abundance of sun, wind and water here and can produce optimum conditions for several types of clean, renewable energy sources. Yet because of unsupportive leaders like Premier Campbell Newman we are lagging behind the rest of the world – in fact, we are running faster and faster in the opposite direction.