Greens – Green Loans confusion under election cover; Gov’t must extend deadline for tender

Green Loans confusion under election cover; Gov’t must extend deadline for tender

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Thursday 12th August 2010, 12:30pm
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in Energy Efficiency
The Greens today called on the government to move the August 20 deadline for tenders for Green Loans assessors to join the new Green Start program to September 30, taking it well beyond the added confusion of the election.

The very significant changes from Green Loans to Green Start have not been sufficiently explained to the thousands of assessors left in the lurch by the debacle surrounding the program. Requiring assessors to submit tenders to take part in the new program by the day before the election is an unnecessary recipe for more problems.

“The thousands of small business people who have been left in the lurch by the extraordinary mismanagement of this program deserve a full explanation of the changes and reasonable time to make their decision,” Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

“The assessors we have heard from still feel left in limbo. They don’t want to waste more time and money on tenders that may be rendered useless the next day depending on the result of the election.

“It makes simple sense to extend the due date for applications to September 30, well beyond the election, so assessors can have a reasonable time to make informed decisions about the future of their businesses.”

Confusion still reigns about any assistance package for assessors who wish to exit the program which showed so much promise but was so disastrously mismanaged.

“The government has not even written to every assessor to outline what the ‘assistance package’ that they advertise on their website is.

“Assessors who have contacted Centrelink as the website advises them to do have found Centrelink knows nothing about Green Loans. There is apparently no special assistance package and all they can get is assessment to see if they’re eligible for retraining assistance.

“The Minister has still not provided any real clarity, assurances or compensation for assessors who had committed to building businesses all about saving householders money and protecting the climate for all of us.

“The unseemly haste to move to Green Start risks repeating the mistakes of Green Loans.

“Regardless of the problems with both the insulation roll-out and the Green Loans scheme, energy efficiency remains by far the fastest and cheapest way to reduce emissions, and the Greens have positive and constructive ideas for how to make it happen.

“The Greens will continue to work with assessors and others to attempt to convince Minister Wong to help them help Australian householders save money and energy.”