WA Greens senators push for clean energy future by 2029

Mrs Siewert visited Bunbury, Margaret River and Busselton on Saturday before venturing out to meet voters in Dunsborough and Balingup on Sunday.

Talking to the Mail, Mrs Siewert said her colleague Senator Scott Ludlam released the electricity plan in March 2013 which shows renewable energies are now becoming cheaper to install than new coal or gas fired power stations. 

“We are campaigning hard to get a shift in thinking by the government because if we start now we can achieve 100 per cent renewable power by 2029,” she said. 

“It would create a lot of jobs and now that the margin has shifted, it is cheaper to go this way then remain on track with coal and gas. Not making the switch now would be very irresponsible.” 

Mrs Siewert said the plan would also render fracking a worthless pursuit. 

“Across the weekend a number of people have come to talk to me about fracking – the South West rightly sees it as an important issue,” she said. “Once companies get exploration licences and find resources, it is very rare that the government will not grant a production lease.

“We are in a transition to renewable energy, so it is my opinion mining companies know it is a race against time to make a profit while they still can."  

On the topic of the backpacker tax, Mrs Siewert said the Greens oppose the current plan which “definitely hurts the industry and growers”. “We are happy to look at a revised approach because the current proposal provides no certainty and runs the risk of kicking in halfway through harvest season, which will confuse everyone involved,” she said. 

Mrs Siewert toured with Greens candidate for Forrest, Dr Jill Reading, who will contest the seat currently held by Nola Marino. 

“Jill has really been getting around the region during the build up to the election and is a wonderful candidate,” she said. 

The Greens have said publicly they hope to return Senators Ludlam and Siewert to Canberra following the July 2 election.

Mrs Siewert said she would also like to see her party increase their vote in the Forrest electorate.