A number of faith-based organisations support the Sydney Alliance Voices for Power project, such as Vinnies, Baptist Churches NSW/ACT, Catholic Diocese of Parramatta, Catholics in Coalition for Justice and Peace and Pitt St Uniting Church. This Town Hall meeting will show politicians the extent of community support of clean energy for all, ten days out from the NSW election. We are standing up for policies to expedite renewable energy use and energy efficiency in Sydney’s homes.

The meeting will be held in Sydney Town Hall and starts at 6.30 pm and finishes at 8.40 pm. Please be there early.

Uniquely at this event, politicians will hear directly from Western Sydney residents with lived experience of climate injustice, for example, renters unable to use appliances due to their expensive energy bills in their energy inefficient home, those economically locked out of installing home solar systems, and those receiving an insufficient buy back price for their renewable energy contribution to the grid.

Diverse organisations have been collaborating with experts to identify the key demands to politicians. They will be asked to commit to these technically and politically feasible energy solutions:

1. Establishment of a Solar Garden in Western Sydney, which provides subsidies for low-income people or those locked out of solar to participate. If successful, this is to be rolled out across NSW.
2. Establishment of a well resourced community energy hub to provide access to give people information on services and resources to meet their energy needs, and especially do so in the languages of multicultural groups
3. Reforming government energy rebate programs to meet people’s real circumstances
4. Providing energy efficiency audits and retrofitting to social/affordable homes
5. Amending minimum standards of rental houses to include a minimum energy efficiency rating

Already the NSW Energy Minister, major opposition parties and crossbenchers have committed to attend, with many more being called upon to appear.

The Assembly will also deal with Affordable Housing. Energy and housing costs are directly and indirectly linked. Politicians will also be asked to commit to these housing measures:

• A national housing strategy to generate 300,000 new social and Aboriginal housing properties
• Subsidies or incentives to leverage investment in 200,000 new low cost rental properties for low and middle income earners
• Provide immediate relief for Australians in chronic rental stress (those paying more than 30% of their incomes in rent)
• Tenancy laws that protect tenants from high arbitrary rent increases or eviction
• Minimum property standards, including energy efficiency, to ensure that all properties are liveable.

See more information here and register your attendance here.