The world's climate emergency is regional Australia's jobs opportunity, with the Shoalhaven's new solar farm a prime example of this, according to Chris Bowen, the shadow minister for climate change and energy.
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Mr Bowen called the project a "win-win", as it provides jobs and a clean energy source to the Shoalhaven and beyond, when he toured the solar farm with Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips on Thursday, November 18.
"It's good for the community, good for jobs, supported by local government, and helps businesses if they want to buy power from here as well," he said.
"Everybody benefits from this project and we want to see many more of it and more like it."
The energy generated from the 8,000 panel solar farm will be shared between Sydney and the Shoalhaven.
The City of Sydney purchased 20 per cent of the farm's output, with the rest available to Shoalhaven businesses.
Twenty jobs have been established during the three month construction phase of the project and when operational in mid-December, the solar farm will provide four part-time jobs.
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Mr Bowen said the Nowra solar farm, which covers 10 hectares, showed the possibility for other regional areas to pursue similar projects.
"This sort of proposal can't happen in cities, we don't have the space for it," he said.
"But we do have space in regional communities. Jobs created during the construction of this will be ongoing.
"It shows that the world's climate emergency is regional Australia's jobs opportunity."
The $5 million project was funded by Repower Shoalhaven, Melbourne-based energy retailer Flow Power and the City of Sydney, and was supported by Shoalhaven City Council in leasing council-owned land.
Mr Bowen said the Federal Government should have stepped up to fund it.
"The main money was from local government from Sydney's Sydney City Council," he said.
"And that's an example of what governments can do. It'd be nice if the Federal Government did that."
If re-elected, Shoalhaven Mayor Amanda Findley said she would push for another solar farm to be constructed at Nowra Hill.
Labor's climate policy still to be announced
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a net zero emissions by 2050 target last month, with the federal opposition still yet to announce their policy.
Mr Morrison said Australia would set on a path to achieve the target by investing more than $20 billion in "low emissions technologies" like hydrogen and solar power over the next decade.
Campaigning in western Sydney earlier in the week, Mr Morrison took a stab at the opposition over its climate policies, suggesting Labor would tax Australians to keep emissions down.
Mr Bowen said on Thursday the Labor's climate policy would be announced soon and added that taxes would not be a part of the plan.
"It will come in the next few weeks," he said.
Asked whether Labor's target would align with the international target for net zero by 2030, Mr Bowen responded there will "certainly be medium-term targets".
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