The Andrews Labor Government has failed to reach its own Solar for Rentals program targets by a whopping 97 per cent.
As has been reported today, only 1,518 renters have accessed the scheme which was announced with much fanfare before the November 2018 State Election, out of a target of 50,000 installations by the end of June 2022.
Not for the first time, what Labor promises before an election, and what Victorians actually get afterwards, is very different.
With just under a year to go until the program ends, Labor needs to install a further 4,407 panels every month until June 2022 in order to meet their own target; that’s 4,351 more monthly installations than the program has averaged to date.
This is just the latest debacle in a series of serious solar failings by the Andrews Labor Government.
Last month, the Victorian Auditor-General’s investigation into Labor’s Solar Homes Program revealed that the Andrews Labor Government:
- Failed to develop a full business case – leading to “deficient program planning”.
- Failed to undertake comprehensive planning and stakeholder consultation – adversely affecting program delivery.
- Failed to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework – and is therefore unable to report on the extent to which consumer power bills or carbon emissions have been reduced.
Labor’s focus on flashy headlines rather than delivering on election commitments means that Victorian renters are missing out on lower energy prices at a time when they need it most.
Labor needs to get serious about delivering lower-cost energy to Victoria’s 600,000 rental households and get on with the job of fixing its broken Solar Homes Program.
