By Tom Arup
Victoria, August 19 - Labor has continued its sporadic release of climate change policies during the election campaign with a promise of $80 million to help community groups and local councils reduce emissions.
But the government has again cut money from environment programs to pay for its election commitments, this time slashing $45 million from former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s global carbon capture and storage institute and $50 million from the national urban water and desalination plan.
Under its latest energy efficiency promise, Labor would offer grants of up to $5 million to councils and community groups to make buildings such as town halls, sports stadiums and nursing homes more energy-efficient.
Grants of $500,000 would go to smaller projects such as upgrading street and traffic lights, retrofitting council buildings and buying energy-saving appliances for childcare centres.
Under the $80 million program Labor would spend an extra $5 million to improving council management of parks.
Tony Mohr, manager of the Australian Conservation Foundation’s climate change program, said yesterday the scheme was a good idea but too small.
”All businesses should get assistance to cut energy use through a national savings scheme, not just councils,” he said.
”Even with this good but small policy, Australia will still be one of the least energy efficient countries in the G20.”
The chief executive of the Energy Efficiency Council, Rob Murray-Leach, welcomed the program saying ”the funding is modest but if it is used wisely it will improve local facilities like swimming pools and council buildings, save money and cut carbon emissions.”
Funding for the scheme will come from a $652 million fund Labor created with savings from shelving its emissions trading scheme.
It is understood Labor will make more climate change announcements before Saturday’s poll.
Labor yesterday justified its funding cut to the global carbon capture and storage institute - conceived and launched by Mr Rudd - because it was ”confident” the institute could draw more money from its other members, which include other countries’ governments.
The government says it cut $50 million from the national urban water and desalination plan - a $1 billion fund for desalination, water recycling and stormwater harvesting projects - due to lower than expected demand.
