Following Labor’s massive federal election win, the great news regarding Australia’s renewable rollout just keeps getting better. Full credit must be given to PM Albanese and Energy Minister Chris Bowen for their steadfast resolve to stare down the obstructionists who are desperately trying to derail this vital transition to renewables.
The Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) quarterly report says renewables, including solar and wind, powered 43 per cent of Australia’s electricity grid in the first three months of 2025, the highest first-quarter amount in the national energy market’s 25-year history.
Grid-scale solar generation is up 10 per cent from 2024 with battery storage generation up 86 per cent. Rooftop solar is up 16 per cent and wind is up 18 per cent, all reaching all-time highs. Australia’s national greenhouse emissions fell 1.4 per cent in the year to March 2025 and are sitting at 28 per cent below 2005 levels.
However, that’s where the great news ends; a subversive wrecking campaign within the Coalition to sabotage all wind and solar-farm projects and repeal the net-zero commitment by 2050 rolls on unabated, they have learnt nothing from their election drubbing.
Leading Nationals figures have been spreading blatant lies and division in regional areas by pretending to be protecting farmland, but they are only farming outrage. They claim that ‘sacred farming land’ is being invaded and trashed by ‘filthy wind turbines’ and ‘dangerous solar panels’, although they don’t seem to mind giant open-cut coal mines scarring the landscape.
The facts are totally different. Farmers are voluntarily signing up in droves to host renewables, the extra income is welcome as a drought buffer and cattle and sheep graze happily under them. Shame Nationals, shame.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
