Perhaps ARENA might not die after all: "And on the subject of...

Perhaps ARENA might not die after all:

"And on the subject of future funding for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency – the grant-based renewables support scheme that the Coalition wants to de-fund – the party appears to have had a rethink.

Labor, having helped set up ARENA, this week had a bizarre tantrum about continuing to support it, despite the fact that scrapping it would leave no avenue for government funding of the kind of early stage research that is vital to the development of better and cheaper renewable energy technology.

But the party has since clarified that it “will continue to support” ARENA, and was “committed to debt, equity and capital grant funding for the renewable energy sector” as crucial elements of its plan to reach 50 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030.
“ARENA’s funding trajectory has been a political plaything of the Turnbull Government with the various changes over the term of this Government making it lumpy and sub optimal,” shadow climate spokesman Mark Butler said in a statement.

“ARENA is fully funded for 2016/17 but we recognise that the balance of funds and programs needs further consideration to ensure that we have what is actually required to achieve our targets for the renewable revolution and deliver on the commitments in our Climate Change Action Plan.

“On winning government we will sit down with the ARENA board and work through exactly what is required."

http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/sho...budget-reply-leaves-door-open-for-arena-76632